Vice-Chancellor visits India to forge new links

Professor Sir Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor, is visiting India this week, 18 – 21 March, to make crucial connections between the country, the University and the city of Sheffield.

A powerful voice on the global nature of the UK’s leading universities, the Vice-Chancellor is leading a delegation of staff which will foster research connections between Sheffield and Indian institutions and business, as well as highlight the tremendous value that students from India bring to the UK as part of a thriving internationally-leading university.

Sir Keith will meet with the Vice-Chancellor of Jawahalal Nehru University in New Delhi, as well as key individuals from the Indian government Department of New and Renewable Energy, the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras, the Head of Science and Innovation and Boeing in India.

The delegation will also be discussing work around sustainability at TERI University in New Delhi, and will meet with Indian alumni who are in senior positions in Indian business and public life, as well as younger alumni who will offer their perspectives on ways that the University can positively engage with India in the future.

Sir Keith said: "India is an extraordinary nation with enormous strengths in education. We have worked with partners in India for many years, on subjects ranging from health and science to engineering, and we know there is real potential to deepen these relationships further.

"As well as our research partnerships, our students from India are a vital part of our university and increasingly this is a two-way process as our engineering students become involved in global engineering challenges in India and look at opportunities to learn and later to work all over the world."

The visit follows the launch of our groundbreaking research at the House of Commons earlier this month on 4 March which showed our commitment to highlighting the value of international students to the city of Sheffield who bring a net benefit of £120 million to its economy each year. We will continue our work in New Delhi to champion international students by visiting facilities for potential students seeking study visas, with a view to improving support and challenging misconceptions.

Sir Keith continued: "Indian students make up the third largest group of international students at the University, behind China and Malaysia. Half of our international students are studying STEM subjects, for STEM degrees, making their extensive talent, knowledge and skills crucial in plugging acknowledged skills gaps in the UK workforce.

"They make a powerful contribution to our university, our research strength and the UK economy. But more than that, the fact that our universities are home to talented young people from all over the world is itself a powerful and life-changing educational experience. As our students say, in a modern world we need to learn from one another and broaden our perspectives and that is exactly what happens – so whether a student at our University is from New Delhi or from Sheffield, there are global connections and we are all international students."

Uday Nair, an Indian student currently undertaking a PhD in Management, said: "One of the biggest benefits to studying at Sheffield is the opportunity to work with innovators in their field, working with different companies, and learning different approaches to the existing systems of life. It is a complete transformation of oneself physically, mentally and spiritually.

“In my opinion, the best thing about life at the University is the people here and the University itself. I have been in Sheffield for the last three years, miles away from home, but this place is now my second home."