A new report on The Indian States was released at the International Higher Education Forum 2016 in London on 1 March 2016, by the British Council. This report follows on from a report with the same title, in 2014, and looks at another set of 5 Indian states, namely, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and National Capital Territory of Delhi, and 43 higher education institutions within those states.

The five states covered, here, have developed strategies to bring about reform needed to strengthen their higher education sectors, and play a positive and facilitative role in internationalising higher education. The higher education institutions investigated across these five states are proactive and have an appetite for pursuing international collaborations, which largely remains untapped, according to a latest report by the British Council, India. This report, showcasing five priority states, highlights that employability- and technology-based education are high on the agenda for almost all states and higher education institutions; therefore, short modules and models of collaboration that address graduate skills gaps are in high demand for international collaboration along with partnerships that involve international student and faculty mobility for teaching and research. However, finding the right Indian partner institution could be a challenge and requires a deep understanding of the institutional culture, leadership, funding sources and appropriate partnership models which bring sustainable mutual benefits.

2016 UK–India Year of Education Research and Innovation, as declared by Prime Ministers David Cameron and Narendra Modi, is a pivotal time for the UK to invest in building and strengthening academic collaborations with Indian higher education institutions, and to engage with state governments to bring systemic reform that supports the internationalisation agenda.

A copy of this report is now available for download.