Birmingham University Chancellor leads 'largest-ever' academic delegation to India

University of Birmingham's Chancellor Karan Bilimoria led the “largest-ever” delegation of academics to India in May, according to a document issued by the UK-based institution.

Whilst in India, Bilimoria visited some of the university's key partners, including Hindustan Petroleum Company Limited's (HPCL) Green R&D Centre (HPGRDC), in Bengaluru. This followed the University of Birmingham and HPCL launching a partnership in February to develop and deliver a cutting-edge hydrogen dispensing system that could revolutionize India's transport sector.

The Chancellor also met leaders at the Government of India's public policy think tank NITI Aayog to discuss the university's engagements in India. Bilimoria also addressed students at Atlas Skilltech University, in Mumbai―delivering a talk on entrepreneurship which drew on his own business experience.

Bilimoria's visit follows the recent launch of a new Joint Masters program in Sustainable Energy Systems between the University of Birmingham and IIT Madras, building on last year's launch of the partners' first Joint Masters program in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

“Leading the University of Birmingham delegation to India in May, which covered Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune, I was accompanied by 20 academics as well as the provost of the University of Birmingham Dubai. This was a great opportunity for me to meet some of our key research and education partners and I was also delighted to meet hundreds of bright minds who are considering joining the University of Birmingham," Bilimoria said.

“Indian students occupy an important place in the University of Birmingham's global student community and Britain is a great place to study―very much open for the business of learning. The graduate visa route continues to attract international students to the UK and our top Russell Group Universities, such as Birmingham, ranked in the top 100 in the world, who are welcoming Indian students,” he said.

He added: “The University of Birmingham offers Indian students the benefit of a rich educational, social, and cultural experience, whether at our beautiful campus in Birmingham or our iconic new campus in Dubai.”

Leading academics from across the university met offer holders in Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune, giving students the opportunity to discover more about their future studies from a team of academic staff at the university.

Students also learned more about career opportunities after graduating from Birmingham, with members of the Careers Network team on hand to offer advice. Birmingham is the British university most targeted by the UK's leading graduate employers according to a study titled “The Graduate Market in 2024” compiled by High Fliers.

The university recently launched a range of substantial new scholarships for Indian students worth more than £1 million in addition to existing scholarships for applicants from India. Students to the university's Dubai campus can receive up to 40% scholarships. 

The University of Birmingham ranks 35th globally (out of 203 institutions) in The Most International Universities in the World―universities with high proportion of international students and staff collaborating on international research with a strong global reputation to match.

More information can be found at https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/