University Grants Commission gave its nod on Thursday to the University of Southampton to establish a branch campus in India, as the country opens up to allow foreign universities to operate, the first Global top 100 and UK Russell Group university to establish a campus in India under the 2020 National Education Policy.
The move was presented by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi under the "internationalisation at home" vision of NEP 2020.
Jaishankar said that this step was in keeping with the endeavour of bringing Indian education to global levels and to further the education pillar of India-UK cooperation. He further went on to say that he had little doubt that such steps would indeed prepare Indian youth for the emerging world of global opportunities and would lay the foundation for further global understanding and cooperation.
Pradhan pointed out that the initiative harnesses India's potential as a future global education and talent hub, especially when top international higher education institutions look to establish collaborations with Indian institutions. He has been saying that setting up foreign university campuses in India and institutions of India abroad not only creates greater diversity of choices but also fosters an exciting ecosystem of research, knowledge sharing, and international collaboration.
The new campus is likely to come up in Gurugram as part of the National Capital Region and will provide top-class teaching-learning opportunities in several top-rated programs.
The University of Southampton will expand on the strategic objectives, leadership, and expertise established through its India Centre, which opened in March 2019, as part of its sustained commitment to engagement with India. Professor Andrew Atherton, Vice-President, International, University of Southampton, said that the University felt very privileged that it was granted approval to establish a campus in India. He went on to say that this is the logical next step in the development of its partnership with India.
The IBG would support the University of Southampton in stakeholder engagement, industry liaison, and business linkages. Amarjit Singh, Chief Executive of the IBG and an alumnus of the UK university termed the development a landmark moment for the UK-India relationship and underlined the role of education, research, and innovation as key aspects of the bilateral relationship.
NEP 2020 lays down a broad-based higher education framework in India, while new policy developments are opening up opportunities for global innovation in transnational education that will allow institutions to collaborate and develop new models of engagement in the country. With more than 25 percent of the world's student population, India is well-placed to emerge as the global talent hub for skilled manpower.
The University of Southampton intends to continue phased expansion on its comprehensive campus based upon the "triple helix" of education, research, enterprise, and knowledge transfer. The University of Southampton has gained a reputation as one of Europe's most entrepreneurial universities, having established long-standing relationships with industry partners such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Microsoft.
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