Five foreign universities awarded LOIs to set up campuses in Maharashtra's Educity
As five foreign universities were awarded Letters of Intent (LOIs) on Saturday to set up their campuses in Maharashtra's Educity — a 250-acre facility to come up near Navi Mumbai International Airport, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that world-class global education will now become available to Indian students in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The CM was speaking at the 'Mumbai Rising: Creating an International Education City' event at Hotel Taj. The LOIs were awarded to the five foreign universities in the presence of Union Education Minister Dharmedra Pradhan and officials from the University Grants Commission (UGC), which has drawn up regulatory policy for Foreign Higher Educational Institutions wanting to set up campuses in India.
Pradhan said nine foreign universities have already been given permission to set up campuses in various parts of the country. And six more are in the pipeline. 'While our criteria was that all these universities are among the top 500 global ranks, most of those approved are from among the top 100 global ranks. India is becoming a destination for education and all this is made possible due to the National Education Policy NEP 2020.'
Fadnavis highlighted the state government's plan to turn Mumbai into a global education hub with Educity, which will be a global education destination with infrastructure planned for 10 world-class universities. Fadnavis said five more foreign universities are to set up campuses in Educity, but their names are yet to be finalised.
He added, 'Biggest benefit of this is to many youngsters from India who are not able to accomplish their dream of studying abroad due to inaccessibility or unaffordability. But now that these universities are going to be in Mumbai, Indian students will be able to accomplish their dream of foreign education with a 23-30 per cent lower cost.'
Stating that this education hub aims to contribute to the growing economy of the country by providing a global workforce, Fadnavis also announced plans of setting up an innovation city in the same vicinity, which will be dedicated to encouraging the research ecosystem. 'Existence of these global universities near the innovation city will foster collaborations between academic research and industry innovations, creating the next generation of tech and other sector innovators,' he said.
Reiterating how world-class education will be affordable and accessible to Indian students with foreign universities setting up campuses in India, Pradhan said, 'The entry of foreign universities will accelerate India's progress in education and development.'
All these universities will enjoy full autonomy in deciding the curriculum, fees, programmes, course content, faculty recruitment among others. The affirmative reservations applicable in other higher education institutions in India will not be applicable to these universities. It will be up to the universities and their policies on whether they want to provide any scholarships.
📌 University of Aberdeen (UK): One of the oldest universities in the UK, it becomes the first Scottish university to establish a campus in India
📌 University of Western Australia (Australia): Part of Australia's prestigious Group of Eight (Go8), it will offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in high-demand STEM fields — science, engineering, and industrial sectors
📌 University of York (UK): A leading research-intensive institution and a member of the Russell Group. It will offer cutting-edge programs in Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, business, economics, and creative industries
📌 Illinois Institute of Technology (US): The first American university to independently award degrees from a campus in India. It will offer programs in computer science, engineering, and business
📌 Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy): One of Europe's premium design schools, it will offer globally benchmarked training in fashion, product design, and visual communication
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
PM reaches Cyprus; President Nikos Christodoulides receives Modi at airport
Prime Minister Modi's visit to Cyprus, the first in over two decades, aims to strengthen strategic ties, leveraging Cyprus's location and stance against Turkish expansionism. Discussions focused on Cyprus's role in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and energy diversification. Both nations share similar views on international issues and support a UN-backed resolution for the Cyprus issue. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads On his maiden trip abroad since Operation Sindoor , Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sought to expand India's strategic ties with Cyprus, taking advantage of its location in the Mediterranean region and its principled position on Turkish a significant gesture, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides received Modi at the airport. This is the first visit to Cyprus by an Indian PM in over two the President hosted the PM for the dinner, Modi engaged with business leaders eager to deepen partnership. Cyprus's maritime connectivity and strategic location position it as a potential hub in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor . Cyprus is a key player in Eastern Mediterranean natural gas exploration and can assist India in diversifying its energy sources. Cyprus' strong ties with Israel, Greece and Egypt could also lead to cooperation in the region. Cyprus will also hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council in whose northern part has been under Turkish occupation since 1974, has been among India's steadfast supporters on the Kashmir issue . Both countries support similar positions on major regional and international issues and have collaborated constructively in the UN, Commonwealth and other has consistently endorsed the solution of the Cyprus issue based on UNSC resolutions, international law and the EU acquis. India supports a bi-zonal bi-communal federation based on UN Resolutions as a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Government to 'facilitate' auto companies procure Chinese magnet
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. NEW DELHI: The government has stepped in to support the auto and component industry's efforts to procure rare earth magnets from Chin,a with companies submitting End User Certificate (EUC) to Beijing, certifying no diversion of the shipment towards defence or weapons production. The commerce department and the ministry of external affairs have been engaged in the process of seeking time for an interface of the Indian industry with representatives of the Chinese government. "We are mindful of the concerns of the industry, especially as manufacturing schedules are likely to be disrupted if the supplies do not resume in some time," one of the sources said. A senior government official said that commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal recently held consultations with auto sector representatives and over the next few weeks, a delegation of executives from industry bodies is expected to go to China, with the Indian embassy in Beijing facilitating the exercise. The government, however, wants to play the role of a "facilitator" in the process, clearly demarcating it from being seen as a G2G (government-to-government) negotiation. "The idea is to involve the respective stakeholders and ministries for a concerted effort to expedite the approval process. The industry has already submitted the requisite documents related to the matter." Local industry has argued it is working on developing capabilities, but it is seen to be a massive challenge. "Developing indigenous supplies and capabilities is crucial, but it's a complex process requiring large-scale investments. Also, mitigating challenges of radioactive materials during the extraction process is also a critical factor," said Alok Perti, former coal secretary and now a senior board advisor with B2B mining and metal industry body MMPI. "Providing viability gap funding like PLI schemes by the government, encouragement to undertake research with countries like Russia, Australia, is also relevant." Source said that auto industry bodies, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam), that represents product companies as well as the Automotive Components Manufacturers Association (ACMA), have been carrying out direct interface with government on the matter, even while companies have submitted their petitions through the route mandated by the Chinese government. The applications have reached China, and companies are eagerly awaiting movement, officials of at least four large companies told TOI. The industry is hopeful of a "positive result" following the meetings that Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong, who is on a two-day visit to India, has had with his Indian counterparts. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
India, US close to finalising 'early tranche' of trade deal
File photo: Union minister Piyush Goyal with US secretary Howard Lutnick (Photo: ANI) NEW DELHI: India and the US are close to working out the final contours of the "early tranche" of the proposed bilateral trade agreement and are now starting work on the possible text for the deal, which is likely to be finalised before July 9, when American president Donald Trump plans to remove the freeze on reciprocal tariffs. Govt is likely to offer concessions for some of the farm products that are of interest to the US, along with concessions on automobiles, in return for getting a 10 per cent duty - Trump's baseline tariff - for labour-intensive products, such as textiles, footwear and, possibly, certain auto parts. With the current US administration lacking Congressional mandate to finalise trade deals, a zero-duty regime will have to wait until things settle down in the US. With a 10 per cent levy on products where India has a comparative advantage, the government is hoping to make Indian exports more competitive, especially if the reciprocal tariffs kick in. In any case, India, with 26 per cent reciprocal tariffs, including the 10 per cent baseline duty, was seen to enjoy a competitive advantage over several countries with which its exports compete. Besides, with sanitary and phytosanitary standards and technical barriers to trade also discussed during the last round of negotiations with American officials between June 4 and 10, the government is hoping that some of the issues faced by exporters shipping goods to the US will also be addressed. Digital trade, customs and trade facilitation and the legal framework were part of the discussions in the Capital earlier this month. Government sources indicated that India is keen for a text to be ready in some form before the deal is made public. This is seen to be crucial as the current US administration has been making announcements without the draft text in place and then claiming victory. Even the Chinese authorities have had to contend with the claims made by Trump on social media after the last dialogue. The announcement with the UK was seen to be more structured. By all accounts, several issues, including the court ruling on reciprocal tariffs for which Trump had invoked emergency provisions, will, however, play a part in finalising the early tranche for which a Fall (Sept/ Oct) date had been fixed. Besides, India is keen that an arrangement be worked out where it retains an advantage over its peers in case the tariffs are declared illegal by American courts. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
