Prior to this year, the University Grant Commission (UGC) had established it straightforward for foreign universities to set up physical campuses in India in Gift City, an advanced business district located halfway between Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Whereas the Australian University has taken the lead in starting their physical classes in India, the Deaking University beginning classes in 2024, and the University of Wollongong will as well. Many universities from the West are in discussions with Gift City authorities.
Prof Geoffrey Garrett, Dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, stated FE believes the post-Covid-19 mixed environment will substantially ease (both physically and online) the operation of international institutions in India. “Before Covid-19, there were two kinds of thought processes it was either online presence or campus presence”, Prof Garrett, who has been previously on the ISB Hyderabad Board, mentioned. “But now we are moving to a world where everything is hybrid, including university partnerships and collaborations”. While face-to-face meetings can be extremely valuable for cohort building, cooperation, and leadership development, he mentioned that doing things remotely, either synchronously or asynchronously, is quite convenient.
“Let’s take the example of a university based in the US and a university based in India who want to collaborate. They would likely have some activity on the ground in both the locations, but then in the middle they would do a lot of stuff using technology which increases convenience, reduces costs and saves time”, he stated. “Even if that American university doesn’t want to set up a physical campus in India immediately, it can bring a lot of value online and gradually step up physical presence in India”, he concluded.
