12
FICCI CONFERENCE www.britishcouncil.in NOVEMBER 2014 UK-INDIA KNOWLEDGE PAPER
FICCI CONFERENCE
www.britishcouncil.in
NOVEMBER 2014
UK-INDIA KNOWLEDGE PAPER
Shared futures: UK-India collaboration in higher educationThe collaboration between higher education institutions in the UK and
India is one of the strongest, most dynamic and extensive research
and education partnerships in the world.
Universities in India and the UK have long been strategic partners in
each other’s internationalisation agenda. The wide-ranging and
growing portfolio of initiatives, many jointly funded by the UK and
Indian governments, reflect the importance of this partnership. On the
ground in India, key UK Government agencies, UK bodies and
organisations encourage and enhance India-UK relations in higher
education: the British Council, the UK Research Councils and the
British High Commission, as the UK Government’s representation in
India, through the Science and Innovation Network, the Department for
International Development (DFID) and UK Trade and Investment. This is
in addition to the continued commitment from UK universities, over
forty of which have set up offices in India to support and extend their
strategic partnerships with Indian institutions. Correspondingly, this
commitment is met by the strong interest in India to collaborate with
the UK.
In this paper, we look to the future of UK-India collaboration in higher
education: how we can build on our past and present initiatives to
support the implementation of Vision 2030. We give an overview of
the UK-India journey in higher education cooperation so far and
analyse what we are doing together to move forward. We find that our
challenges and shared goals are opening up many more opportunities
for our researchers, students and institutions to work together.
Our collaboration is deep-rooted. For over a
hundred years, Indian scholars and students have
internationalised UK universities and been a
strong part of the academic life of our institutions.
These connections have developed into a far-
reaching UK-India network of research and
teaching collaborations which stretch deep into
our respective higher education systems.
Throughout the great transformations in the
Indian higher education system over the last fifty
years, from the establishment of the prestigious
national institutes and the subsequent evolution
from an elite to a mass higher education system,
UK universities have been among the first to
partner with Indian institutions.
The extent of the UK-India partnership in higher
education is remarkable. This has been
significantly boosted over the last decade with
programmes including the UK-India Education and
Research Initiative (UKIERI), the largest, most
comprehensive bilateral government-to-
government partnership programme in higher
education in India. We have put in place a wide
range of opportunities for Indian and UK
institutions to collaborate which have been taken
up by the sector with enthusiasm. Over the last
eight years, UKIERI has established over 1,000 UK-
India partnerships. The UK Research Council’s
presence in India has greatly increased joint UK-
India research collaboration on shared national
research agendas. The HE Links programme, now
DelPhe, funded by DFID and managed by the
British Council, has supported research links
stretching back over 25 years. Most recently, the
UK government’s Newton Fund in partnership with
the Government of India aims to stimulate new
collaboration in science and innovation. The
British Council’s Internationalising Higher
Education programme supports the
internationalisation of British and Indian
institutions and spans a range of joint initiatives to
deepen mutually beneficial partnership.
India has more active links with UK institutions
than with any other country in the world. Just
in the last eight years, we have together
supported over 25,000 exchanges between Indian
and British academics, researchers and students,
engaged in an extensive spectrum of joint
research projects and educational activities. This
is in addition to the 275,000 Indian students who
have gained a university education in the UK over
the last decade. Our partnership continues to
expand: research and innovation is now our
fastest growing area of bilateral engagement, with
joint collaboration approaching £200 million since
2008.
The forward momentum of UK-India collaboration
in higher education reflects a mutual agenda,
guided by shared priorities and interests. The
appetite within both our sectors for even greater
India-UK collaboration in higher education is
driving another transformational step-change in
our relationship in the years to 2030.
A REMARKABLE PARTNERSHIP
Shared futures: UK-India collaboration in higher educationThe collaboration between higher education institutions in the UK and
India is one of the strongest, most dynamic and extensive research
and education partnerships in the world.
Universities in India and the UK have long been strategic partners in
each other’s internationalisation agenda. The wide-ranging and
growing portfolio of initiatives, many jointly funded by the UK and
Indian governments, reflect the importance of this partnership. On the
ground in India, key UK Government agencies, UK bodies and
organisations encourage and enhance India-UK relations in higher
education: the British Council, the UK Research Councils and the
British High Commission, as the UK Government’s representation in
India, through the Science and Innovation Network, the Department for
International Development (DFID) and UK Trade and Investment. This is
in addition to the continued commitment from UK universities, over
forty of which have set up offices in India to support and extend their
strategic partnerships with Indian institutions. Correspondingly, this
commitment is met by the strong interest in India to collaborate with
the UK.
In this paper, we look to the future of UK-India collaboration in higher
education: how we can build on our past and present initiatives to
support the implementation of Vision 2030. We give an overview of
the UK-India journey in higher education cooperation so far and
analyse what we are doing together to move forward. We find that our
challenges and shared goals are opening up many more opportunities
for our researchers, students and institutions to work together.
Our collaboration is deep-rooted. For over a
hundred years, Indian scholars and students have
internationalised UK universities and been a
strong part of the academic life of our institutions.
These connections have developed into a far-
reaching UK-India network of research and
teaching collaborations which stretch deep into
our respective higher education systems.
Throughout the great transformations in the
Indian higher education system over the last fifty
years, from the establishment of the prestigious
national institutes and the subsequent evolution
from an elite to a mass higher education system,
UK universities have been among the first to
partner with Indian institutions.
The extent of the UK-India partnership in higher
education is remarkable. This has been
significantly boosted over the last decade with
programmes including the UK-India Education and
Research Initiative (UKIERI), the largest, most
comprehensive bilateral government-to-
government partnership programme in higher
education in India. We have put in place a wide
range of opportunities for Indian and UK
institutions to collaborate which have been taken
up by the sector with enthusiasm. Over the last
eight years, UKIERI has established over 1,000 UK-
India partnerships. The UK Research Council’s
presence in India has greatly increased joint UK-
India research collaboration on shared national
research agendas. The HE Links programme, now
DelPhe, funded by DFID and managed by the
British Council, has supported research links
stretching back over 25 years. Most recently, the
UK government’s Newton Fund in partnership with
the Government of India aims to stimulate new
collaboration in science and innovation. The
British Council’s Internationalising Higher
Education programme supports the
internationalisation of British and Indian
institutions and spans a range of joint initiatives to
deepen mutually beneficial partnership.
India has more active links with UK institutions
than with any other country in the world. Just
in the last eight years, we have together
supported over 25,000 exchanges between Indian
and British academics, researchers and students,
engaged in an extensive spectrum of joint
research projects and educational activities. This
is in addition to the 275,000 Indian students who
have gained a university education in the UK over
the last decade. Our partnership continues to
expand: research and innovation is now our
fastest growing area of bilateral engagement, with
joint collaboration approaching £200 million since
2008.
The forward momentum of UK-India collaboration
in higher education reflects a mutual agenda,
guided by shared priorities and interests. The
appetite within both our sectors for even greater
India-UK collaboration in higher education is
driving another transformational step-change in
our relationship in the years to 2030.
A REMARKABLE PARTNERSHIP
Through our bilateral partnership, the UK is a
partner in realising India’s plans for the
transformation of its higher education system, as
India is a partner in the continued evolution of our
own system. We see our respective successes in
higher education as interlinked. The rise of India
as an economic powerhouse, its role and position
in responding to the great global challenges which
depend on world-class research and innovation,
and its talent pipeline, which potentially, will
produce one quarter of the world’s graduate
workforce by 2030, makes India a crucial partner
for the UK. Therefore, investment in UK-India
collaboration, we believe, is an investment in the
UK’s own future. From the other perspective, the
UK has a lot to offer India as a partner in higher
education as the focus in India turns towards the
differentiation of its system and increasing the
quality of its research and teaching. The UK is one
of the world’s leading research nations: it has the 1most productive research base in the G8 and is
second in the world for the most highly cited 2scientific articles, at 14% of the global total . As
research in India continues to grow, our
institutions are well placed to collaborate in STEM.
As the fourth largest producer of PhDs in the 3OECD and G8 countries combined , our research
base is fed by the strong talent coming through
the system. As our demographic shifts, we have
the opportunity of building on present strengths
to produce together a future UK-India talent
pipeline of world class researchers. We have a rich
and diverse research and teaching base in UK
institutions and our scientific credentials are
matched by an active research base in the social
sciences, arts and humanities; this is particularly
important in multidisciplinary research, in which
the UK has measured competencies across the
main research disciplines and which will be
important in shaping future research approaches.
In terms of innovation, research in the UK has high
commercial impact and is among the top five 4countries for university-business interaction , a
key goal for both Indian and UK national research
strategies. Global rankings reflect the international
standing of the UK sector: four of the top six 5universities in the world are UK institutions. The
UK’s global position and quality is interdependent
on its international partners, including India. As
India’s system differentiates into research,
teaching and community specialisation, the UK’s
institutions are well placed to respond through the
wide variety of missions across our individual
institutions in research, teaching,
entrepreneurship, links with industry and
employability.
FICCI’s publication ‘Higher Education in India:
Vision 2030” clearly outlines the critical factors
needed for India to effectively transform its higher
education system into one that is globally relevant
and competitive. In a report published by the
British Council this year, for which over fifty
leaders in Indian higher education were
interviewed, internationalisation of research and
teaching was stated as a priority in this
transformation. The report found that “increasing
internationalisation in research and teaching is
strongly supported by the Indian sector and
considered it vital for Indian institutions in
developing India’s capacity in research and
innovation, driving up India’s institutional rankings
and increasing the quality of teaching and 6learning.” A key finding from the report was the
growing demand for foreign students and faculty
to come to India and to which universities in the
UK are keen to respond.
THE UK AND INDIA HAVE MUTUAL AGENDAS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
1. G8: Group of eight leading industrialised countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States2. 2011 figures, in Elselvier (2013): ‘International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base – 2013’, Report for the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills, UK Government, London.3. Ibid.4. Ibid.5. QS World University Rankings 2014-15: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014# 6. Understanding India: the future of higher education and opportunities for international collaboration (2014).
http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/ihe/knowledge-centre/national-policies/report-understanding-india
The following transformational agendas are a
central focus for UK-India collaboration:
Ÿ Higher education systems which are world-
class and globally competitive
Ÿ Creating the knowledge and innovation that
deliver high economic and social impact
Ÿ Systems that produce a talent pipeline of
highly skilled and job-ready graduates able to
contribute towards their societies and
economies
These three areas are at the heart of the UK-India
partnership and are encapsulated in the following
areas of our collaboration:
1. WORLD CLASS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
a. Incubation partnerships: we have supported
and jointly funded hundreds of new, start up
research collaborations between Indian and
UK researchers. This is essential for
researchers to identify common research
areas and to initiate relationships.
b. Top-level research projects: £150 million of
joint UK and India funding supports full-scale
research projects between the best
researchers in India and the UK. These are
in joint strategic areas of national
importance to both our countries and lead
to world class and highly impactful research.
c. Innovation partnerships: we are linking our
UK and Indian innovators in higher education
by seeking out and supporting proposals
which turn knowledge into products and
services. We fund visits and workshops to
share best practice in innovation across the
UK and India.
2. INVESTING IN A FUTURE POOL OF RESEARCH
TALENT
a. PhDs and post doctoral training: hundreds of
joint, split-site PhD programmes between the
UK and India are supplying a pipeline of
research talent. The new Newton-Bhabha
Fund will provide a significant boost in the
number of joint studentships over the next
five years.
b. Mobility between India and the UK in both
directions: thousands of students,
researchers and teachers have travelled to
each others institutions through our
programmes, developing the vital skills and
contacts they need for productive bilateral
and multinational research careers. An India-
UK taskforce on qualifications recognition
under UKIERI is working together to find
solutions to enhance the international
mobility of Indian and UK students.
3. TALENT PIPELINE OF HIGHLY SKILLED,
EMPLOYABLE GRADUATES
a. Internationalisation of teaching and learning:
Internationalised institutions produce highly
skilled, job-ready graduates with global
competencies and the intellectual capital
essential for growing their nation’s economy.
The movement of students and teachers is
essential to the process. We encourage and
support students in the UK and India to
spend time studying in each other’s country
as an essential part of their education. A new
initiative, Generation UK India, will bring an
additional 25,000 UK students, teachers and
researchers to India. Education UK and our
GREAT campaign continues to encourage
and welcome Indian students to the UK.
b. Institutional partnerships in teaching: we
fund and support active partnerships
between Indian and UK institutions that
improve teaching and learning outcomes,
upgrade curricula and enhance pedagogy.
These include joint curriculum development
partnerships, instructional design training
for the effective use of ICTs and joint design
and delivery of dual degree courses.
c. Sharing international best practice: We
convene high level and practitioner
conferences and policy dialogues on
UK-INDIA COLLABORATION CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS INDIA’S 2030 VISION: MAKING IT HAPPEN
Through our bilateral partnership, the UK is a
partner in realising India’s plans for the
transformation of its higher education system, as
India is a partner in the continued evolution of our
own system. We see our respective successes in
higher education as interlinked. The rise of India
as an economic powerhouse, its role and position
in responding to the great global challenges which
depend on world-class research and innovation,
and its talent pipeline, which potentially, will
produce one quarter of the world’s graduate
workforce by 2030, makes India a crucial partner
for the UK. Therefore, investment in UK-India
collaboration, we believe, is an investment in the
UK’s own future. From the other perspective, the
UK has a lot to offer India as a partner in higher
education as the focus in India turns towards the
differentiation of its system and increasing the
quality of its research and teaching. The UK is one
of the world’s leading research nations: it has the 1most productive research base in the G8 and is
second in the world for the most highly cited 2scientific articles, at 14% of the global total . As
research in India continues to grow, our
institutions are well placed to collaborate in STEM.
As the fourth largest producer of PhDs in the 3OECD and G8 countries combined , our research
base is fed by the strong talent coming through
the system. As our demographic shifts, we have
the opportunity of building on present strengths
to produce together a future UK-India talent
pipeline of world class researchers. We have a rich
and diverse research and teaching base in UK
institutions and our scientific credentials are
matched by an active research base in the social
sciences, arts and humanities; this is particularly
important in multidisciplinary research, in which
the UK has measured competencies across the
main research disciplines and which will be
important in shaping future research approaches.
In terms of innovation, research in the UK has high
commercial impact and is among the top five 4countries for university-business interaction , a
key goal for both Indian and UK national research
strategies. Global rankings reflect the international
standing of the UK sector: four of the top six 5universities in the world are UK institutions. The
UK’s global position and quality is interdependent
on its international partners, including India. As
India’s system differentiates into research,
teaching and community specialisation, the UK’s
institutions are well placed to respond through the
wide variety of missions across our individual
institutions in research, teaching,
entrepreneurship, links with industry and
employability.
FICCI’s publication ‘Higher Education in India:
Vision 2030” clearly outlines the critical factors
needed for India to effectively transform its higher
education system into one that is globally relevant
and competitive. In a report published by the
British Council this year, for which over fifty
leaders in Indian higher education were
interviewed, internationalisation of research and
teaching was stated as a priority in this
transformation. The report found that “increasing
internationalisation in research and teaching is
strongly supported by the Indian sector and
considered it vital for Indian institutions in
developing India’s capacity in research and
innovation, driving up India’s institutional rankings
and increasing the quality of teaching and 6learning.” A key finding from the report was the
growing demand for foreign students and faculty
to come to India and to which universities in the
UK are keen to respond.
THE UK AND INDIA HAVE MUTUAL AGENDAS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
1. G8: Group of eight leading industrialised countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, United States2. 2011 figures, in Elselvier (2013): ‘International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base – 2013’, Report for the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills, UK Government, London.3. Ibid.4. Ibid.5. QS World University Rankings 2014-15: http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2014# 6. Understanding India: the future of higher education and opportunities for international collaboration (2014).
http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/ihe/knowledge-centre/national-policies/report-understanding-india
The following transformational agendas are a
central focus for UK-India collaboration:
Ÿ Higher education systems which are world-
class and globally competitive
Ÿ Creating the knowledge and innovation that
deliver high economic and social impact
Ÿ Systems that produce a talent pipeline of
highly skilled and job-ready graduates able to
contribute towards their societies and
economies
These three areas are at the heart of the UK-India
partnership and are encapsulated in the following
areas of our collaboration:
1. WORLD CLASS RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
a. Incubation partnerships: we have supported
and jointly funded hundreds of new, start up
research collaborations between Indian and
UK researchers. This is essential for
researchers to identify common research
areas and to initiate relationships.
b. Top-level research projects: £150 million of
joint UK and India funding supports full-scale
research projects between the best
researchers in India and the UK. These are
in joint strategic areas of national
importance to both our countries and lead
to world class and highly impactful research.
c. Innovation partnerships: we are linking our
UK and Indian innovators in higher education
by seeking out and supporting proposals
which turn knowledge into products and
services. We fund visits and workshops to
share best practice in innovation across the
UK and India.
2. INVESTING IN A FUTURE POOL OF RESEARCH
TALENT
a. PhDs and post doctoral training: hundreds of
joint, split-site PhD programmes between the
UK and India are supplying a pipeline of
research talent. The new Newton-Bhabha
Fund will provide a significant boost in the
number of joint studentships over the next
five years.
b. Mobility between India and the UK in both
directions: thousands of students,
researchers and teachers have travelled to
each others institutions through our
programmes, developing the vital skills and
contacts they need for productive bilateral
and multinational research careers. An India-
UK taskforce on qualifications recognition
under UKIERI is working together to find
solutions to enhance the international
mobility of Indian and UK students.
3. TALENT PIPELINE OF HIGHLY SKILLED,
EMPLOYABLE GRADUATES
a. Internationalisation of teaching and learning:
Internationalised institutions produce highly
skilled, job-ready graduates with global
competencies and the intellectual capital
essential for growing their nation’s economy.
The movement of students and teachers is
essential to the process. We encourage and
support students in the UK and India to
spend time studying in each other’s country
as an essential part of their education. A new
initiative, Generation UK India, will bring an
additional 25,000 UK students, teachers and
researchers to India. Education UK and our
GREAT campaign continues to encourage
and welcome Indian students to the UK.
b. Institutional partnerships in teaching: we
fund and support active partnerships
between Indian and UK institutions that
improve teaching and learning outcomes,
upgrade curricula and enhance pedagogy.
These include joint curriculum development
partnerships, instructional design training
for the effective use of ICTs and joint design
and delivery of dual degree courses.
c. Sharing international best practice: We
convene high level and practitioner
conferences and policy dialogues on
UK-INDIA COLLABORATION CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS INDIA’S 2030 VISION: MAKING IT HAPPEN
MOVING FORWARDWe have a solid foundation upon which to build.
The strength and distinction of the India-UK
partnership is its multidimensionality and breadth
of scope. This enables us to have sharp focus on
critical areas, while also contributing to the larger,
long-term transformational agendas which
recognise the complexity and breadth of the
Indian sector. We ensure our joint activities deliver
value to both India and the UK by having an equal
platform for collaboration: all our initiatives are
co-designed, co-funded and co-delivered in
partnership with the Indian and UK sectors. There
are several key directions we should consider for
the future:
EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONALISATION AT
SCALE
What is required now, in the journey to 2030, is a
further transformation in scale of
internationalisation of institutions. This means a
wider, broader base for UK-India partnerships: not
just the tier 1 institutions, although these remain
high priority, but also the private and state
sectors. In research, not only in STEM, but also in
the humanities, social sciences and arts. And not
only in research, but also far more in teaching.
MANY MORE UK AND INDIAN RESEARCHERS,
TEACHERS AND STUDENT EXCHANGES IN BOTH
DIRECTIONS
Our joint, forward-looking portfolio of initiatives is
taking us in the right direction by opening up the
opportunities for more research and teaching
partnerships, but we now need a transformational
increase in the numbers of researchers, students
and teachers who spend time in each other’s
institutions. We need more UK academics and
students to come to India. Our new programmes:
the Newton-Bhabha Fund and Generation UK-India
will provide a significant boost in the number of
exchanges in both directions.
CREATING A BETTER ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN
We need to lay the foundations which create the
conditions necessary to take international
collaboration to the next stage, which will
facilitate the movement of academics and
students, enable international recognition of
qualifications and credits and increase the scope
of opportunities for institutional linkages.
SYSTEMIC PARTNERSHIPS
We have the opportunity of leveraging our
international expertise in systemic challenges
towards Vision 2030; not only through individual
institution-to-institution links, but through larger
scale UK-India consortia in areas such as capacity
building in teaching, use of new technologies,
creating systems for multidisciplinary research,
quality assurance to international standards, links
between skills and university sectors, engagement
with industry and a range of underlying systemic
platforms.
industry engagement in education,
improving the employability of graduates
and enhancing entrepreneurship. These
dialogues bring together apex national
agencies in both our countries to analyse,
debate and learn from effective policy in an
international setting.
4. GLOBAL STANDING OF HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS
a. Internationalisation: All the above UK-India
activities contribute to global ranking scores
in both the UK and India. Most of the global
ranking systems reflect the importance of
internationalisation. The Times Higher
University World Rankings, for example,
assesses excellence across five areas:
teaching, research, citations, industry
income and international outlook. The latter
is measured by a number of factors,
including the number of foreign students
and academics enrolled or working at the
university; the ability to compete for
students from abroad, attracting the best
academic minds from across the globe are
strong indicators of reputation and quality in
teaching and research.
b. Leadership and governance: the UK
convenes debate and dialogue on issues
and challenges of institutional governance
and leadership, sharing experiences
between Indian and UK leaders and
managers, through international workshops
and seminars. We organise leadership study
tours in the UK for Indian policy makers and
leaders.
MOVING FORWARDWe have a solid foundation upon which to build.
The strength and distinction of the India-UK
partnership is its multidimensionality and breadth
of scope. This enables us to have sharp focus on
critical areas, while also contributing to the larger,
long-term transformational agendas which
recognise the complexity and breadth of the
Indian sector. We ensure our joint activities deliver
value to both India and the UK by having an equal
platform for collaboration: all our initiatives are
co-designed, co-funded and co-delivered in
partnership with the Indian and UK sectors. There
are several key directions we should consider for
the future:
EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONALISATION AT
SCALE
What is required now, in the journey to 2030, is a
further transformation in scale of
internationalisation of institutions. This means a
wider, broader base for UK-India partnerships: not
just the tier 1 institutions, although these remain
high priority, but also the private and state
sectors. In research, not only in STEM, but also in
the humanities, social sciences and arts. And not
only in research, but also far more in teaching.
MANY MORE UK AND INDIAN RESEARCHERS,
TEACHERS AND STUDENT EXCHANGES IN BOTH
DIRECTIONS
Our joint, forward-looking portfolio of initiatives is
taking us in the right direction by opening up the
opportunities for more research and teaching
partnerships, but we now need a transformational
increase in the numbers of researchers, students
and teachers who spend time in each other’s
institutions. We need more UK academics and
students to come to India. Our new programmes:
the Newton-Bhabha Fund and Generation UK-India
will provide a significant boost in the number of
exchanges in both directions.
CREATING A BETTER ENABLING ENVIRONMENT
TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN
We need to lay the foundations which create the
conditions necessary to take international
collaboration to the next stage, which will
facilitate the movement of academics and
students, enable international recognition of
qualifications and credits and increase the scope
of opportunities for institutional linkages.
SYSTEMIC PARTNERSHIPS
We have the opportunity of leveraging our
international expertise in systemic challenges
towards Vision 2030; not only through individual
institution-to-institution links, but through larger
scale UK-India consortia in areas such as capacity
building in teaching, use of new technologies,
creating systems for multidisciplinary research,
quality assurance to international standards, links
between skills and university sectors, engagement
with industry and a range of underlying systemic
platforms.
industry engagement in education,
improving the employability of graduates
and enhancing entrepreneurship. These
dialogues bring together apex national
agencies in both our countries to analyse,
debate and learn from effective policy in an
international setting.
4. GLOBAL STANDING OF HIGHER EDUCATION
INSTITUTIONS
a. Internationalisation: All the above UK-India
activities contribute to global ranking scores
in both the UK and India. Most of the global
ranking systems reflect the importance of
internationalisation. The Times Higher
University World Rankings, for example,
assesses excellence across five areas:
teaching, research, citations, industry
income and international outlook. The latter
is measured by a number of factors,
including the number of foreign students
and academics enrolled or working at the
university; the ability to compete for
students from abroad, attracting the best
academic minds from across the globe are
strong indicators of reputation and quality in
teaching and research.
b. Leadership and governance: the UK
convenes debate and dialogue on issues
and challenges of institutional governance
and leadership, sharing experiences
between Indian and UK leaders and
managers, through international workshops
and seminars. We organise leadership study
tours in the UK for Indian policy makers and
leaders.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UK AND INDIA
The year is 2030. The UK and Indian higher
education sectors are deeply interconnected
within a global alliance of research and innovation
networks. UK and Indian researchers, through
careers involving international placements and
study exchanges in each other’s institutions, have
the intellectual and intercultural skills for highly
effective and contextually relevant collaborative
research. They are highly valued internationally,
working at the forefront of research and
innovation in the best research teams in the world.
Our teaching at universities embeds international
collaborative working between UK and Indian
students as a normal, regular feature of their
classes and lab work. Students interact digitally
through student-centred activities and research
projects, sharing their learning and developing
their critical thinking and problem-solving skills
together; international working is part of their
everyday experience. All UK students have the
opportunity to spend time in Indian institutions,
and all our institutions are open to Indian
students. The learning outcomes from our
internationalised curricula and teaching
excellence produces highly skilled, job-ready
graduates who are able to adapt to new job
requirements and evolving job markets . Our
teaching produces a rich talent pipeline into
research careers in both India and the UK.
Graduates from our universities are well-rounded,
global citizens with social and intercultural
awareness and understanding, and an open, wider
world view. They form lifelong links which
continue to enrich the UK-India relationship in
education, business and culture.
Our systems are fully integrated through
international credit recognition agreements and
aligned quality assurance systems: there are no
structural barriers to student and faculty mobility
between our institutions. UK universities have
institution-wide, multidimensional partnerships
with Indian institutions. Alliances are formed on
the basis of mutual and equal benefit, with shared
interests and complementary missions in research
and teaching.
A SUMMARY OF OUR EXTENSIVE PORTFOLIO OF UK-INDIA INITIATIVES
The UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI)
UKIERI is the largest, most comprehensive bilateral government-to-government partnership
programme in higher education in India. It is the UK government’s flagship programme which aims to
strengthen the education and research relationship between India and the UK and set an example of
best practice in international cooperation. UKIERI has delivered funding of £110 million by the UK and
Indian governments and the corporate sector.
Highlights: through grants for building new research and teaching partnerships, policy dialogues,
student interaction, post doctorates and PhD training:
Ÿ UKIERI has formed 1,000 UK-India partnerships in research and education
Ÿ Enabled 25,000 exchanges of academics, researchers and students
Ÿ Produced 2,000 high quality co-authored (UK-India) research publications.
Ÿ The Study India strand of the initiative has brought over 1000 UK students to Indian institutions and
businesses.
The initiative is currently in Phase 2, with Phase 3 planned, which will extend the programme for
another five years to 2020.
www.ukieri.org
Our major UK-India programmes include:
Research Councils UK in India
RCUK India was set up in 2008 to represent the UK’s seven Research Councils in India. The office
facilitates high-level, excellent research between the best researchers in the UK and India, through
high-quality, high-impact research partnerships. Since 2008, the combined UK-India investment in
research has grown from less than £1 million to over £150 million. This wide-ranging portfolio of
research includes 80 UK-India projects involving over 90 industry partners; and addresses shared
national research agendas in energy; health and life sciences; climate change; social sciences; arts
and humanities.
www.rcuk.ac.uk/international/Offices/officeinindia
DelPhe
The Development Partnerships in Higher Education programme, previously known as HE Links, is
funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and managed by the British Council. It
has supported research links stretching back over 25 years, leveraging the expertise of higher
education towards poverty reduction and development goals.
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UK AND INDIA
The year is 2030. The UK and Indian higher
education sectors are deeply interconnected
within a global alliance of research and innovation
networks. UK and Indian researchers, through
careers involving international placements and
study exchanges in each other’s institutions, have
the intellectual and intercultural skills for highly
effective and contextually relevant collaborative
research. They are highly valued internationally,
working at the forefront of research and
innovation in the best research teams in the world.
Our teaching at universities embeds international
collaborative working between UK and Indian
students as a normal, regular feature of their
classes and lab work. Students interact digitally
through student-centred activities and research
projects, sharing their learning and developing
their critical thinking and problem-solving skills
together; international working is part of their
everyday experience. All UK students have the
opportunity to spend time in Indian institutions,
and all our institutions are open to Indian
students. The learning outcomes from our
internationalised curricula and teaching
excellence produces highly skilled, job-ready
graduates who are able to adapt to new job
requirements and evolving job markets . Our
teaching produces a rich talent pipeline into
research careers in both India and the UK.
Graduates from our universities are well-rounded,
global citizens with social and intercultural
awareness and understanding, and an open, wider
world view. They form lifelong links which
continue to enrich the UK-India relationship in
education, business and culture.
Our systems are fully integrated through
international credit recognition agreements and
aligned quality assurance systems: there are no
structural barriers to student and faculty mobility
between our institutions. UK universities have
institution-wide, multidimensional partnerships
with Indian institutions. Alliances are formed on
the basis of mutual and equal benefit, with shared
interests and complementary missions in research
and teaching.
A SUMMARY OF OUR EXTENSIVE PORTFOLIO OF UK-INDIA INITIATIVES
The UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI)
UKIERI is the largest, most comprehensive bilateral government-to-government partnership
programme in higher education in India. It is the UK government’s flagship programme which aims to
strengthen the education and research relationship between India and the UK and set an example of
best practice in international cooperation. UKIERI has delivered funding of £110 million by the UK and
Indian governments and the corporate sector.
Highlights: through grants for building new research and teaching partnerships, policy dialogues,
student interaction, post doctorates and PhD training:
Ÿ UKIERI has formed 1,000 UK-India partnerships in research and education
Ÿ Enabled 25,000 exchanges of academics, researchers and students
Ÿ Produced 2,000 high quality co-authored (UK-India) research publications.
Ÿ The Study India strand of the initiative has brought over 1000 UK students to Indian institutions and
businesses.
The initiative is currently in Phase 2, with Phase 3 planned, which will extend the programme for
another five years to 2020.
www.ukieri.org
Our major UK-India programmes include:
Research Councils UK in India
RCUK India was set up in 2008 to represent the UK’s seven Research Councils in India. The office
facilitates high-level, excellent research between the best researchers in the UK and India, through
high-quality, high-impact research partnerships. Since 2008, the combined UK-India investment in
research has grown from less than £1 million to over £150 million. This wide-ranging portfolio of
research includes 80 UK-India projects involving over 90 industry partners; and addresses shared
national research agendas in energy; health and life sciences; climate change; social sciences; arts
and humanities.
www.rcuk.ac.uk/international/Offices/officeinindia
DelPhe
The Development Partnerships in Higher Education programme, previously known as HE Links, is
funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and managed by the British Council. It
has supported research links stretching back over 25 years, leveraging the expertise of higher
education towards poverty reduction and development goals.
The GREAT campaign
An extensive partnership between UK universities and the UK government promotes the UK as a study
destination, offering Indian students over 750 scholarships (undergraduate and postgraduate) to UK
universities, worth £1.5 million to Indian students.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/facts/programmes-and-initiatives/great-campaign
The British Council’s Internationalizing Higher Education programme
Supports the internationalisation of British and Indian institutions and spans a range of joint initiatives
to deepen mutually beneficial partnership. These include:
Ÿ Collaborative knowledge economy and innovation partnerships between universities in India and
the UK
Ÿ Policy dialogues which bring together leading edge thinkers in governments, businesses and higher
education institutions to debate and share ideas on the critical challenges facing higher education
Ÿ Services for institutions and governments for bespoke professional visits and study programmes in
the UK
www.britishcouncil.in/great-scholarships
Generation UK India
A brand new initiative launched this month, aiming to support up to 25,000 UK students to India over
the next five years in partnership with higher education institutions, government and the corporate
sector. UK students will spend time in Indian education institutions and international and national
corporations.
www.britishcouncil.in/programmes/higher-education/internationalising-higher-education
Chevening Scholarships
A highly prestigious scholarship programme, offering 150 Master’s degree scholarships in 2015-16 to
talented professionals who are potential future leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers.
www.chevening.org/india This paper was produced by the British Council, with contributions from the UK Government’s
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the British High Commission, the Department for
International Development and the Research Councils UK.
The Newton-Bhabha Fund
A brand new five-year UK global Emerging Powers Research and Innovation Fund, launched this year
and jointly funded by the UK government in partnership with the Government of India, aims to
stimulate new collaboration in science and innovation. The £50 million fund over 5 years will support:
Ÿ PhD partnering, industry & research fellowships, mobility schemes, research & innovation bridges,
joint centres, direct training and STEM education initiatives.
Ÿ Jointly developed research programmes
Ÿ Translation of research into innovation through challenge-focused partnerships, tech partnering
events, innovation platforms.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/newton-fund-building-science-and-innovation-capacity
in-developing-countries/newton-fund-building-science-and-innovation-capacity-in-developing-
countries
The GREAT campaign
An extensive partnership between UK universities and the UK government promotes the UK as a study
destination, offering Indian students over 750 scholarships (undergraduate and postgraduate) to UK
universities, worth £1.5 million to Indian students.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/facts/programmes-and-initiatives/great-campaign
The British Council’s Internationalizing Higher Education programme
Supports the internationalisation of British and Indian institutions and spans a range of joint initiatives
to deepen mutually beneficial partnership. These include:
Ÿ Collaborative knowledge economy and innovation partnerships between universities in India and
the UK
Ÿ Policy dialogues which bring together leading edge thinkers in governments, businesses and higher
education institutions to debate and share ideas on the critical challenges facing higher education
Ÿ Services for institutions and governments for bespoke professional visits and study programmes in
the UK
www.britishcouncil.in/great-scholarships
Generation UK India
A brand new initiative launched this month, aiming to support up to 25,000 UK students to India over
the next five years in partnership with higher education institutions, government and the corporate
sector. UK students will spend time in Indian education institutions and international and national
corporations.
www.britishcouncil.in/programmes/higher-education/internationalising-higher-education
Chevening Scholarships
A highly prestigious scholarship programme, offering 150 Master’s degree scholarships in 2015-16 to
talented professionals who are potential future leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers.
www.chevening.org/india This paper was produced by the British Council, with contributions from the UK Government’s
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the British High Commission, the Department for
International Development and the Research Councils UK.
The Newton-Bhabha Fund
A brand new five-year UK global Emerging Powers Research and Innovation Fund, launched this year
and jointly funded by the UK government in partnership with the Government of India, aims to
stimulate new collaboration in science and innovation. The £50 million fund over 5 years will support:
Ÿ PhD partnering, industry & research fellowships, mobility schemes, research & innovation bridges,
joint centres, direct training and STEM education initiatives.
Ÿ Jointly developed research programmes
Ÿ Translation of research into innovation through challenge-focused partnerships, tech partnering
events, innovation platforms.
www.gov.uk/government/publications/newton-fund-building-science-and-innovation-capacity
in-developing-countries/newton-fund-building-science-and-innovation-capacity-in-developing-
countries
www.britishcouncil.in
Contact
British Council Division
British High Commission
17 Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 001
Toll free number 1800 102 4353
