NEW DELHI: The launch of the India campus of the University of Southampton strengthened the cooperation between India and the UK in the education sector, said Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday.

The Minister inaugurated the campus at Gurugram in Haryana, said a PIB release.

“The launch marks a momentous milestone towards internationalisation of education at home under National Education Policy 2020, and also towards strengthening the education pillar of India-UK cooperation as envisioned in the India-UK Roadmap 2030,” Pradhan said.

The University – a QS Top 100 global institution and founding member of the UK’s Russell Group – becomes the first foreign university to operationalise a campus in India under the University Grants Commission’s `Setting up and Operation of Campuses of Foreign Higher Educational Institutions in India’ Regulations, the release said.

Pradhan called upon other leading universities across the world to come to India to co-create ecosystems of innovation, research and education.

The new campus will offer globally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aligned with UK academic standards. Students may spend up to one year at the University’s campuses in the UK or Malaysia.

This academic year’s programmes include undergraduate (BSc) courses in Computer Science, Economics, Accounting & Finance, Business Management, and postgraduate (MSc) courses in Finance and International Management.

Secretary of Higher Education and Chairman of UGC Vineet Joshi noted that NEP 2020 positions India as a global hub for education, research, and innovation. He emphasised that the UGC has put in place a streamlined, transparent process to facilitate such initiatives.

The University is set to hire over 75 full-time faculty members who meet UK academic standards, the release added.