Chennai, Mar 9 (IANS): Global industrial technology company Rolls-Royce on Monday said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) for joint research programmes.

The company also said as per the agreement, it will also send some of its engineers to IIT-M for higher education.

As part of the MoU, Rolls-Royce and IIT-M will also aim to pursue advanced research in areas of relevance to future technological and programmatic needs of the company.

As part of its Technical Higher Study Framework, Rolls-Royce will sponsor select employees keen to pursue Masters and PhD level studies, in partnership with IIT Madras.

To qualify for the program, employees must first clear the IIT Madras selection process, and their topic should be aligned with Rolls-Royce strategic research priorities and capabilities.

The programme is open to all permanent employees at the Rolls-Royce Engineering Centre in Bengaluru who have completed 36 months of service with the company. The initiative is in line with the company's efforts to promote growth and career progression for its engineering talent, the statement said.