Edu-leaders

The University of Edinburgh is intensifying its longstanding ties with India by opening a new liaison office in Mumbai. The office will simplify communication and collaboration between the university and partners in Indian education, business and government.

By working with Indian partners within the country, the university will help to tackle a range of pressing concerns such as environmental challenges, economic development and health issues. The university is also launching a new course that trains students to aid in India's development, supported by a new programme of scholarships dedicated to students from India who are studying for an Edinburgh master’s degree.

Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea, Principal of the University of Edinburgh, said: "I am proud to announce the opening of this India office. Our efforts show that the University of Edinburgh is committed to working with Indian partners and institutions.”

"Our partnerships with India will help us not only to further education across the world, but also to jointly pursue solutions to serious problems facing us all - such as climate change, improving global health, and economic development."

Meanwhile, students are being recruited for the University of Edinburgh's Master's programme on South Asia and International Development, which will start in September. Applications for the new course are already being invited.

The course will prepare students to work in development-linked areas in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. It will focus on issues such as the gap between rich and poor in the rapidly developing region and the impact of history on South Asian development.

Roger Jeffery, the University's Professor of Sociology of South Asia, said: "This new programme places South Asian development in the proper context and equips people to work in international development and play an active role in understanding and assisting in shaping the region's future."

The University has a long tradition of teaching and scholarship relating to India. Former Edinburgh figures include William Robertson, who wrote one of the earliest European texts on Indian commerce and culture, and Victor Kiernan, known for his translations of the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Mohammed Iqbal.