The Business Bytes
The O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) has achieved the unprecedented and path breaking milestone of building international collaborations with 288 universities across the G20 countries.
This unique initiative signifies JGU’s resolute commitment to embracing a more interconnected world, transcending geographical boundaries to cultivate a diverse and inclusive academic environment.
This remarkable initiative perfectly aligns with the shared vision of the G20 countries for interconnected higher education systems. With a focus on fostering cooperation and facilitating knowledge exchange on a global scale, this initiative is set to transform the world of higher education.
The G20, comprises the world’s foremost economic powers, as a means to tackle global issues and foster sustainable development.
JGU’s strategic decision to forge partnerships with universities in the G20 nations showcases its unwavering commitment to fostering international academic collaborations and propelling the growth of the global knowledge landscape. This has created unparalleled opportunities for the students and faculty of JGU to collaborate with world-class universities across G20 countries.
As India’s global university with over 10,000 students from more than 70 countries and over 1,100 full-time faculty members from more than 50 countries, JGU has forged fruitful partnerships with reputed universities and higher education institutions within the G20 countries across all continents.
They include Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and Austral University in Argentina; the University of Cape Town and the University of South Africa in South Africa; University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, Monash University, University of Sydney, University of Queensland in Australia; the Federal University of Pernambuco and Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Brazil; York University, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary and the University of Guelph in Canada; Tsinghua University and Peking University in China; Humboldt University Berlin and University of Hamburg, Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany; Airlangga University, Jenderal Soedirman University in Indonesia; University of Bologna, Sapienza University in Italy; Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Nambu University in South Korea; Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology-ITAM, University of Guadalajara in Mexico; Saint Petersburg State University, Far Eastern Federal University, HSE University in Russia; King’s College London, University of Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, University of Edinburgh, University of Southampton, University of Birmingham in the UK; Tokiwa University, Yamanashi Gakuin University in Japan; KOC University, Sabancı University in Turkey; Harvard University, Cornell University, University of Michigan, Indiana University, University of California-Davis, University of Southern California, Columbia University, University of Arizona, Seattle University, University of Virginia in the US; Sciences Po, Catholic University of Lille in France and a number of other universities across the G20.
The G20 Education Working Group focuses primarily on ensuring literacy and numeracy, digital technologies for human development, education and the future of work, and international education collaboration. Their educational policies place an emphasis on excellence, equality and global engagement. Similarly, JGU’s internationalization initiatives prioritize instilling in our students and faculty members these values that unite the G20 countries for the common good of human development.
JGU’s initiatives within G20 countries include student exchange programmes and research internship programmes that provide students with opportunities for field-specific research experience and academic engagements along with hosting scholars for research and students from G20 countries for the India Immersion Programmes in a diverse set of thematic areas. This is further supplemented with faculty-level collaborations for research publications, joint conferences and several similar academic endeavours in line with G20’s mission of promoting lifelong learning in technology, global collaboration, diversity, excellence and equality.
JGU’s international collaborations have been established with the primary objective of providing students and faculty with valuable international opportunities to seamlessly enter into a global arena of opportunities. With the addition of these new collaborations, JGU’s global partnership network has grown significantly, now boasting over 400 institutional partnerships in over 70 countries.
In consonance JGU’s commitment to internationalisation and the G20 vision for connected and collaborative higher education, these partnerships not only promote faculty and student exchanges but also contribute to research collaborations, enabling a global interchange of knowledge and ideas.
A total of 1,100 JGU students have been involved in study abroad programmes over the last three academic years. These programmes include semester exchanges, dual degree opportunities, and short-term study abroad initiatives. Even for the faculty members, several opportunities for joint research projects and paper publications have been materialised in which around 50 faculty members have been involved.
Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, shared the driving force behind the initiative.
“From its inception, JGU’s commitment to internationalisation was driven by our strong belief in the transformative power of global higher education. Our belief was bolstered with the vision of India’s presidency of the G20 which highlighted the need to foster a dynamic, interconnected world of exchange and opportunity.
“We have strived to be ambassadors of this vision and commandeered our efforts towards forming meaningful partnerships with the leading universities, the intellectual epicentres of the G20 nations. As India’s presidency reaches its zenith, it is a proud moment for JGU to announce this remarkable landmark of forging 288 institutional partnerships across G20 countries,” he added.
Professor (Dr.) Mohan Kumar, Dean, Strategic & International Initiatives and Director, Jindal Global Centre for G20 Studies, JGU said: “The O.P. Jindal Global University, coinciding with the New Delhi G20 Summit has launched a commendable initiative of forging partnerships with G20 Universities. Nothing can be more powerful than this for demonstrating the validity of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is the theme of the New Delhi G20 Summit. The future of the world lies in the hands of the youth and this initiative by O.P. Jindal Global University seeks to build an interconnected future for the students of the G20 Countries.”
Dr. Akhil Bhardwaj, Director of the Office of International Affairs and Global Collaborations, JGU said: “The Office of International Affairs & Global Initiatives at JGU is deeply committed to continue expanding our partnerships’ network, creating valuable opportunities for our students to study in the best and leading Universities across the globe as part of their respective degree programmes at JGU.
“We are conscious of ensuring that our international collaborations have a meaningful impact on the life of our students and faculty members and hence, significant efforts are undertaken to implement these collaborations that we have established over the years.”
