Sciences Po, France-based social sciences university, on Tuesday announced MoUs with University of Delhi, Presidency University Kolkata and Ashoka University for facilitating student and faculty exchange and collaborative research and teaching programmes. The university already has a significant cooperation with India, having inked MoUs with nine top universities, colleges and fellowships: Jawaharlal Nehru University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, The National Law School of India, Bangalore, Christ University, IIT Madras, the University of Madras, and the Young India Fellowship. Frederic Mion, President, SciencesPo Paris, said, “To us India is a key element is our strategy of opening up the university internationally. The sheer pool of talent that this country has to offer is big and there are a number of very good institutions in the country offering higher education.” The university has about 80 Indian students currently. While the Indian Government has allowed foreign universities to operate independently in India, set up campuses and offer degrees without having a local partner, not enough traction has been seen on this front. On why the university prefers MoUs instead of setting up a campus here, Mion, said: “Our strategy has not been to create our own campus but to build partnerships with those institutions with which we have closest kinship. As part of that strategy we have created dual degrees with institutions.” Vineet Gupta, Founder and Trustee, Ashoka University: “As we go about building a new institution – Ashoka University – in India, we are looking to collaborate with top institutions in the world. A lot of research on India is happening more at Western universities now than Indian universities itself. We can learn a lot from Sciences Po in this regard.” SciencesPo Paris, established in 1871, is a full-fledged research and teaching university. Source: Education News