UK is eager to welcome an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to establish an offshore campus in the nation. Some UK universities have already begun discussions with IITs to investigate the potential, according to senior British government officials.
According to officials, a number of UK universities are also interested in establishing branch campuses in India and are awaiting the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) final regulatory framework.
Steve Smith, International Education Champion, The UK government said, “Certainly, there has been a discussion about IITs setting up their campuses abroad. We have talked to the Indian High Commission in London because we think nothing would symbolize better the genuine two-way nature of the relationship between the two countries than IITs or other top institutions in India deciding to set up campuses in the UK. So we are very open to that.”
“I know that quite a lot of UK institutions have talked to IITs whether that would be a possibility. So again, it’s not going to be happening tomorrow but I do think that’s the trend for how the relationship will develop,” he added further.
Two IITs have already made announcements and formal agreements for the establishment of their offshore campuses. IIT Delhi is establishing an offshore campus in Abu Dhabi, whilst IIT Madras is establishing a campus in Tanzania’s Zanzibar.
Asked about whether UK universities are also exploring setting up their campuses in India, Smith responded, “The obvious answer is yes. UK colleges are looking into opening campuses in India. There is much interest. Of course, the first thing to do is to get the regulatory framework in order since, without an agreed-upon, signed, and sealed regulatory framework, no governing body anywhere in the world would consent to it. So over the past two or three years, we have made significant progress toward that goal.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) released draft norms for international universities setting up campuses in India in January of this year. However, no one has yet been informed of the final restrictions.
“I can assure you that while many universities are thinking about long-term physical presence, but again, we need to get everything finalized,” said Alison Barrett, Director India, British Council. so that obstacles are avoided. We are really interested in this happening here as well as the opening of Indian institutions in the UK.
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“We are really enthusiastic because real two-way relationships are the way of the future. Therefore, physical presences like branch campuses are very appealing to us. There are five UK universities that are particularly well-established in Malaysia. As a result, the UK university network has a lot of experience doing it. As a result, they are also quite interested in this possibility in India, according to Barrett.
