A licence to set up a branch campus in India was awarded to the University of Southampton in August, making it the first UK university to be granted permission to set up an outpost in the country.
Now, its partnership with OIEG takes it one step closer to opening a Delhi NPR campus in a move OIEG called “a historic public-private partnership to deliver the first comprehensive campus in India under the New Education Policy”.
OIEG will provide financial backing and the professional services needed to set up the campus, which will be based in Gurgaon, Delhi. The first intake is expected for 2025, with four undergraduate and two graduate degrees to choose from.
The campus will be staffed with both international and domestic faculty, OIEG said, “reflecting a significant investment in India by both the University and OIEG”.
OIEG said the partnership shone a light on a “shared commitment” from both parties to pursue transnational education (TNE) as a “major strategic initiative”.
“This landmark launch is the next chapter in our international strategy, which emphasises global engagement and positive social impact. Our Delhi campus is a significant investment in India and reinforces our commitment to making a global contribution through fair and sustainable partnerships,” said Andrew Atherton, vice-president international and engagement at the University of Southampton.
Public-private partnerships like this will be an increasingly crucial part of the development of higher education in the UK and globally
Lil Bremermann-Richard, OIEG
“It also provides Indian and international students the opportunity to gain a world-class University of Southampton degree, without leaving their country, positioning our University as a gateway to the world.”
Meanwhile, OIEG’s CEO Lil Bremermann-Richard predicted that public-private partnerships with become “increasingly crucial” to the UK higher education landscape.
“Public-private partnerships like this will be an increasingly crucial part of the development of higher education in the UK and globally, with a redrawing of the line of what gets executed in universities and what they look to partners to deliver,” she said.
“The student perspective is clear; many wish to pursue studies overseas but there is also a rapidly increasingly student population that rightly believe they can realise their full potential without the need to leave their home country. We look forward to bringing the best of the UK and Indian educational systems to this community of students, and in parallel to establish new and innovative ways of undertaking research and reach out to industry in ways that assist social and economic development.”
