The University of Cambridge is leading UK efforts to expand academic and business ties with India. This Wednesday, Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz chaired a meeting of 24 Indian academics, government figures and business leaders, in Delhi. A statement from the University said that the ‘Circle of Advisers’ aims “to guide and assist existing research collaborations between Cambridge and Indian academics, foster the establishment of new ones, and play an ambassadorial role in promoting the University in India”.

The group reads like a Who’s Who of Anglo-Indian society, providing an indication of the scale of Cambridge’s ambitions in India. Its members include the Chairman of Tata Trusts, the Secretary of the Department of Higher Education and as well as the President of the Indian National Academy of Engineering. The group’s specialisms reflect the University’s focus in the areas of Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Education, the Social Sciences, Technology and Business.

The details of the Circle of Advisors’ agenda have yet to be revealed. Potential models to expand the University’s 260 existing academic collaborations in India include the Bangalore Cambridge Innovation Network. Created in 2012, it aims to boost innovation and research in biotechnology, nanotechnology and manufacturing processes through the creation of networks of exchange between the two leading technological hubs.

The University of Cambridge and Bangalore’s Infosys have since signed an agreement to undertake research in engineering, management and business, architecture and pharmacology. Leading companies based in Cambridge who have established offices in Bangalore include ARM whose microchips power 95% of the world’s mobile phones, as well as Cambridge Silicon and Silicon Radio. 

Part of this outreach is driven by strong historical links between Cambridge and India. 150 years after the University admitted its first Indian pupil, Indians comprise the third largest group of overseas students. Cambridge has over 1,200 alumni on the subcontinent. Former students include current Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as Nobel Laureates Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (Molecular Biology), who still works at the University, and former master of Trinity College, Amartya Sen (Economics).

The UK and Indian governments have stood firmly behind the University’s activities. They have funded research programs and have promoted research ties. Since 2010, the Cambridge Vice-Chancellor has visited India five times. This year he was selected by David Cameron to lead the UK’s trade mission. Downing Street is eager to use Cambridge’s formidable reputation and presence in India to encourage export growth at home. Delhi is keen to develop its own academic capabilities and is said to be pleased by the University’s vote of confidence in the country.

However, the continued alignment between the interests of governments and the University’s ambitions are not guaranteed. Governments and their needs change, but few are in a better position than  Leszek Borysiewicz, the former head of the UK’s Medical Research Council and a keynote speaker on the role of universities in the economy, to negotiate such problems.