Parul University Signs MoU with Alkem Laboratories for Research, Internships and Pharmacy Collaboration

On 16 September 2026, Parul University and Alkem Laboratories Limited entered a Memorandum of Understanding covering multiple aspects of cooperation between the university and pharmaceutical company. Areas covered include postgraduate studies, internship, apprenticeship, hiring, expert sessions and technical knowledge sharing. This is for a period of five years.

The Faculty of Pharmacy has a larger role than the rest of the university. Through it, the two sides intend to work on Pharmaceutical Analysis, Quality Assurance and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and to run Executive Development Programmes for Alkem’s shop-floor employees and management.

Parul University was formed on the basis of the Gujarat Private Universities (Second Amendment) Act, 2015 at P.O. Limda, Ta. Waghodia, Dist. Vadodara, Gujarat. Alkem Laboratories Limited is registered in Mumbai, Maharashtra with its registered office in Mumbai, Maharashtra, as a pharmaceutical company under the Companies Act, 1956.

Parul University is a multidisciplinary private university that offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate level courses across various fields like Engineering and Technology, Applied Sciences and Pharmacy. It seeks to enhance its industry academia relations. Alkem is a pharmaceutical company keen on nurturing talent, promoting PhD research and interns and sharing knowledge with educational institutions.

The MoU lists five objectives. The first is to ease the registration and enrolment of candidates nominated or sponsored by Alkem into the university’s Doctor of Philosophy programmes. The second is to offer structured internships at Alkem to eligible students, which may lead to apprenticeships and, depending on performance, to employment.

The third brings industry professionals from Alkem to campus for expert talks, guest lectures, workshops and seminars. The fourth draws on Alkem’s expertise for curriculum enrichment, research guidance and related academic work. The fifth concerns the Faculty of Pharmacy, which will collaborate in Pharmaceutical Analysis, Quality Assurance and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and design and deliver Executive Development Programmes.

The Faculty of Pharmacy carries commitments of its own. It will design and deliver tailor-made Executive Development Programmes, short-term certificate courses and modules to upskill Alkem’s employees and managers.

Some of the topics that are covered are Good Manufacturing Practice, Good Laboratory Practice, regulations for pharmaceutical manufacturing and pharmacy management. The programs should be conducted on a periodic basis because the guidelines of GMP and GLP are the ones which control the production and testing of medicine.

Quality Assurance work adds lectures and workshops on quality management systems, documentation, audits and legal requirements, along with internships, industrial projects and research for students in the speciality. The content, length, delivery mode, group size and financial terms of each programme are fixed in writing before it begins.

Parul University will register candidates nominated or sponsored by Alkem, employees included, into its Ph.D. programmes. Candidates must meet the university’s eligibility parameters, admission process and academic rules, and the conditions set by the University Grants Commission. Once registered, they are treated like any other doctoral student, with academic supervision, research facilities and administrative support under the university’s Ph.D. norms.

There is room for industry voices in the guidance. If both sides agree, suitably qualified professionals from Alkem may be considered as co-supervisors or external experts for research scholars, within the university’s regulations. For someone already working in industry who wants a doctorate, this is a direct route, and the research is likely to stay close to problems companies actually face.

Alkem will offer internships to two groups of students: M.Sc. students in Chemistry, Environmental Science and Microbiology, and B.Tech. students in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, and Fire and Safety Engineering. The number of positions, their duration, location and any stipend are for Alkem to decide and to communicate before each cycle.

An internship may be converted into an apprenticeship under the law, including the Apprentices Act, 1961, and interns or apprentices may be considered for full-time employment based on performance and business need. Students placed at Alkem must follow the company’s policies, code of conduct, safety regulations and confidentiality requirements.

The MoU records the broad understanding and intent of the two sides. It is not intended to create legally binding obligations, nor an agency, partnership, joint venture or employer-employee relationship. The two exceptions are Confidentiality and Intellectual Property, which are binding, with the confidentiality obligation continuing for three years after the MoU ends.

Nothing in the agreement obliges Alkem to offer a minimum number of internships, apprenticeships or jobs, or obliges the university to relax its academic or admission norms. Specific activities will be carried out under separate written agreements where required. In plain terms, the MoU sets a framework and real opportunities follow as each activity is agreed.

Also Read: Industry Internships and Doctoral Pathways in Pharmacy at Parul University

SOURCE AND CONTEXT.  This article is based on the Memorandum of Understanding between Parul University and Alkem Laboratories Limited, signed 16 September 2026. The MoU is a statement of intent and is non-binding except for its confidentiality and intellectual property clauses. Figures such as internship numbers and stipends are left to Alkem to decide per cycle.

Prospective students and research scholars can explore the Faculty of Pharmacy and the university’s doctoral and postgraduate programmes.

Faculty of Pharmacy: paruluniversity.ac.in/faculty/pharmacy

All programmes: paruluniversity.ac.in/all-programs

• Parul University Multidisciplinary private university, Vadodara, Gujarat
• Alkem Laboratories Limited Pharmaceutical company, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Faculty of Pharmacy, Parul University Leads the pharmacy collaboration and EDPs