Knowledge-hungry Gujarat to join hands with 77 varsities

Close to 77 universities from 25 countries will visit Gujarat to forge strategic partnerships with universities in the state. The universities will meet at the International Conference for Academic Institutions 2013, as part of the Vibrant Gujarat Investors' Summit, to promote research activities, faculty and student exchange, knowledge exchange and capacity building of the universities.
Home to globally-renowned educational institutes like Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Technology and National Institute of Design, Gujarat will draw global universities in January.

University of London, Harvard Kennedy School, University of South Australia, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, Association of African Universities, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, University of Glasgow, University of Houston, University of South Carolina, George Washington University, University of Wollongong, University of Liverpool, Royal University of Bhutan, among others will visit the state for various initiatives.

Dr Vedant Pandya, director (research and innovation), Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat, said, "Besides exchange of knowledge, the conference will focus on making graduates in Gujarat job eligible and employable in the industry. The interaction with foreign universities will open up doors of skill development, internships, exchange of teaching and learning material and research among other possibilities."

The Gujarat government has put preparation for the upcoming business summit on a fast track. The conference will be held on January 9 and 10, 2013.

According to officials, the conference will focus more on sharing of ideas, promotion of innovation and research as compared to earlier summits, which focused on generating investments.

About 50 educational collaborations were announced during the Vibrant Gujarat summit held in 2011. The state government, along with Tata Motors, identified and trained around 1,000 youngsters for the company's Nano car plant in Sanand.

Universities like Stanford had signed collaborations with Ahmedabad University for faculty exchange.

British university joins hands with Mumbai college

Britain-based University of Westminster Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with Mumbai's HR College of Commerce and Economics to expand its Indian scholarship programme, officials said.

"India has historically been an important partner for the University of Westminster, through students who have come to learn with us, academics who have shared their expertise, and as a partner for research," said University of Westminster Pro Vice-Chancellor, Myszka Guzkowska, announcing their new Indian presence.

The University also announced its new partnership with the prestigious Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi.

"It is our goal to strengthen these existing ties into long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships for the university and for India," Guzkowska said.

The university also announced a new series of scholarships specifically for Indian students worth 1,50,000 pounds. The distinctive feature of these scholarships is that they are offered on the condition that, on graduation, the students return to work in India.

The University of Westminster is also launching an Indian Alumni Association, which will have the primary objective of promoting strong relationships between its alumni, current students, faculty and the university as a whole.