Kolkata, Dec 30 (IANS): Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) will expand its base here through research and innovation parks, an official release said Monday.

The move aims at merging industry and academia as well as fostering international collaborative studies.

The hubs would give scope to young scientists from the institute to not only enhance their academic prospects but also boost their entrepreneurship skills, the release said.

IIT-KGP plans to set up parks at Gopali, Kansabati and Rajarhat, besides the existing one at the Kharagpur campus.

"The hubs would be a merger of all these areas. The project is on...and the first building would come up by early 2015," project in-charge Joy Sen told IANS.

"The parks will be an extension of IIT-Kharagpur in the state capital," he said.

The first Park will be developed in Kolkata.

It will have facilities to house collaborative research laboratories of partner organisations, incubation units, and other academic and research facilities.