Wales-India university partnerships get £72k boost

Up to £72,000 will be available for Welsh institutions to strengthen their ties with universities in the Indian state of Karnataka, thanks to a new innovation fund established by Global Wales. 

The fund will support projects focused on priority areas such as agri-tech and rural economy, green energy and decarbonisation, creative industries and media, and digital transformation.

Global Wales, an international education partnership program, contributed £36,000 to the fund, while eight participating universities from Karnataka gave match funding of £4,500 each. 

Welsh institutions can bid for £4,500 per project and the money can be used in a variety of ways, including supporting training, transnational education, workshop delivery, and research. 

The aim is to develop long-term relationships between Karnataka and Welsh institutions, support joint research, and facilitate knowledge exchange across borders, Global Wales said. 

“It’s fantastic to see Global Wales’ engagement with Karnataka state continue to flourish after years of partnership and collaboration,” commented Global Wales chair Dr Ben Calvert. 

India was chosen by Global Wales as a priority country in 2019, with Karnataka selected as a second priority state – after Hyderabad – for engagement under the program three years later. 

It’s fantastic to see Global Wales’ engagement with Karnataka state continue to flourish after years of partnership and collaboration

Dr Ben Calvert, Global Wales

The partnerships are the latest examples of Wales expanding its global reach, with the destination seeing a marked increase in student interest from India and the US in recent years.

The funding announcement follows a three-day visit to Wales by Karnataka’s university leaders, led by the British Council, to explore opportunities for collaboration and innovation.This included a roundtable event on higher education priorities for both nations.

The eight Karnataka institutions seeking projects are Bangalore University, Davangere University, Dr. B R Ambedkar School of Economics University, Karnatak University Dharwad, Mangalore University, Mysore University, Rani Chennamma University, and VSK University Bellary. 

“We welcome this collaboration with the Global Wales program, which will enhance the capacity of Karnataka’s universities and enable our students and academics to engage globally,” Dr MC Sudhakar, Karnataka’s honourable minister for higher education, said. 

“We have a long-standing relationship with the British Council, and we are confident that together we will help our institutions strengthen academic and research linkages, contributing to Karnataka’s growth as a hub for quality higher education.”

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