UK University Strengthens Educational Ties with India

The University of Leicester is strengthening its higher education partnership with India, highlighted by a visit from the Indian Consul General in Birmingham, Dr. Venkatachalam Murugan. He met with university leaders to discuss ongoing and future collaborations, including a new programme with Apollo Hospitals. Conversations also covered strengthening ties between the UK and India and the university's work with ISRO.

The University of Leicester said it is building on its higher education partnership with India, exemplified in a visit by the Consul General of India in Birmingham to interact with students from India and hold discussions with academics.

Consul General Dr Venkatachalam Murugan visited the university campus recently when he met Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Nishan Canagarajah; Professor of Cardiology Sir Nilesh Samani; Professor of Actuarial Science Leena Sodha; and Professor of Primary Care Diabetes and Vascular Medicine Kamlesh Khunti.

The interaction follows a memorandum of understanding signed between Leicester University and the Apollo Hospitals Group last year to promote international cooperation and explore collaborative education and research programmes, particularly in the fields of healthcare management, healthcare and data science.

“The timing of his visit was quite fitting, as we have just announced the first fruits of our partnership with the Apollo Hospitals Group, in India – a new programme partnership to be delivered in conjunction with the Apollo University,” said Prof Canagarajah.

“It was also particularly pleasing to see Dr Venkatachalam make time to speak to our students, to find out about their experiences of studying overseas with us,” he said.

The visit saw discussions around the ways higher education and the University of Leicester might support with strengthening ties between the UK and India. The talks also touched on the university’s Space Park Leicester and its track record of working with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Professor Khunti, meanwhile, is co-leading a GBP 10-million flagship study to help improve the care outcomes of people living with multiple long-term health conditions or multimorbidity in India and Nepal.

The city of Leicester has strong links with India, having one of Britain’s highest proportions of South Asians, a vast majority of them of Indian heritage, who make up 22 per cent of the overall population.