Foreign universities focus on creating research centres

India’s growing research ambitions are creating new opportunities for international universities to collaborate with Indian institutions and businesses.

Until recently, most discussions on the globalisation of higher education focused on foreign universities establishing full-fledged campuses in India to offer their own degrees.

However, attention is now shifting toward a different model: the creation of local research and collaboration hubs that connect universities, researchers, students and industry – without the need for establishing full-scale, degree-granting campuses.

The announcement by the University of Manchester on 15 October regarding the establishment of a hub in Bengaluru exemplifies this shift. The proposed hub aims to link the university’s academic expertise with Indian businesses, researchers and students.

Collaborative knowledge production

Dr Kriti Dagar, assistant professor at the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education (CPRHE), National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA), sees these centres as part of a broader change in international higher education, moving beyond the recruitment of students towards collaborative knowledge production, research and innovation.

Dagar told University World News: “Branch campuses primarily expand educational provision, while research centres can connect institutions, academics and industries across national borders.”

Her research on Dubai’s international higher education landscape found that the presence of foreign branch campuses did not automatically lead to broader knowledge exchange. The lesson for India is clear: attracting an international institution is not the same as building research capacity.

Referring to the University of Manchester’s proposed centre in Bengaluru, Dagar said such initiatives could help India deepen its participation in international research and innovation networks.

“For India to benefit from such models, foreign university centres would need to establish partnerships that strengthen domestic research capabilities rather than operate primarily as extensions of their home institutions,” Dagar said.

She proposed developing international academic networks that bring together researchers from India and abroad, alongside joint and dual PhD programmes, international doctoral co-supervision and shared research infrastructure.

Different models, a shared purpose

Several existing initiatives demonstrate how international collaboration can function without relying solely on traditional overseas campuses.

In May 2025, Imperial College London launched its ‘Global India Hub’ in Bengaluru. The hub aims to foster research partnerships and joint innovation, connect Indian institutions with Imperial’s expertise and coordinate initiatives such as the ‘India Connect Fund’.

The IIT Bombay–Monash Research Academy, set up in 2009, has produced over 300 PhD graduates. Scholars benefit from joint supervision, research experience in Australia, opportunities to work with industry and access to wider research networks.

Dagar said the success of foreign university research centres should be assessed by their long-term contribution to research capacity, rather than by the number of agreements signed or projects announced.

She proposed a “hub-and-spoke” model in which foreign university centres connect with smaller Indian institutions, creating opportunities for shared facilities, collaborative learning and wider access to academic resources.

Giving Indian partners responsibility

The experience of the University of Toronto India Foundation (UTIF) offers deep insight into how a locally grounded model can function.

Established in India in 2023 as a non-profit organisation in collaboration with Tata Trusts, UTIF has provided the University of Toronto with a permanent presence in India. Its work focuses on areas such as climate resilience, urban infrastructure and data-driven sustainability, with research and entrepreneurship serving as its core domains of activity.

Gauravi Lobo, Director of UTIF, told University World News: “Projects are developed through consultation with partners, including community organisations, local governments and universities. The aim is to respond to problems identified on the ground rather than simply transfer a research agenda developed elsewhere.”

Citing an example, Lobo referred to a heat action plan for Jalgaon in Maharashtra, developed in association with the Mahila Housing Trust, an NGO working for the empowerment of women and the local municipal corporation. The work includes a city-specific heat threshold, helping local authorities respond to the realities of extreme heat.

Lobo said UTIF is also working with organisations including the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Waatavaran, ASAR and PDAG on a proposed “reverse COP”, or Conference of Panchayats – panchayats are the grass-roots governing institution for a village. The idea is to bring local community experience into state climate action plans so that climate policy reflects the concerns of people affected by it.

The structure of the partnership matters as much as the research itself. Under UTIF’s Research Catalyst Grants, co-hosted with the University of Toronto’s School of Cities, an Indian partner organisation signs the agreement, receives the grant and leads implementation, while a University of Toronto researcher serves as co-lead. Funding, therefore, stays with the Indian institution, helping strengthen its ability to carry out research, Lobo explained.

Indian researchers can draw on the university’s multidisciplinary expertise, while doctoral scholars have attended methods training at the School of Cities. The resulting work has included peer-reviewed papers, policy briefs and technical guidance for government agencies.

According to Lobo, the foundation also supports entrepreneurs through mentoring, boot camps and faculty sessions. Student teams from the University of Toronto Scarborough have helped Indian climate start-ups with market analysis, investment readiness and growth strategies.

“Indian partners hold the agreements and lead implementation, so capacity builds inside Indian institutions. We also try to build pathways rather than one-off grants so that startups from university challenges can move into incubation and research findings can become prototypes,” Lobo added.

Such projects show how international research can move from academic findings towards practical applications. They also demonstrate the importance of giving Indian partners meaningful responsibility rather than treating them only as recipients of external expertise.

Turning research into results

Even well-designed partnerships face practical difficulties. Academic research may take years to produce results, while government departments work according to annual budgets and changing administrative priorities. Start-ups, meanwhile, may need to demonstrate progress quickly to survive.

Lobo notes that research reports do not always translate into action. Partnerships therefore need to identify early who will use the findings and how the knowledge produced will support decisions or practical solutions.

According to Lobo, there is an additional risk that the benefits will remain concentrated among elite universities, major companies and academics who already have international connections.
Smaller institutions may lack the funding, infrastructure or networks needed to participate. Unless centres make a deliberate effort to widen access, international partnerships could deepen existing inequalities rather than reduce them, Lobo warns.

Dagar argues that successful collaboration requires what she describes as “global alignment”: a global model with local alignment. At the national level, research should connect with India’s priorities. At the institutional level, practical routes should be created for smaller universities to participate. At the individual level, Indian researchers should receive recognition and a fair share of the benefits.

Measuring success

India also needs a clearer picture of the international research centres operating in the country. Dagar suggests that a dedicated category in the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), recording their locations, activities, partners and benefits, could improve visibility and help Indian researchers identify opportunities beyond education fairs and recruitment agents.

“Local presence is important, too,” Dagar says. “Staff who understand government systems, universities and civil society can help international institutions build lasting relationships. Indian partners should have a say in setting research questions, managing funds and leading implementation.

“Projects are more likely to endure when they address problems that local institutions already recognise and are prepared to act on.”

Dagar said foreign universities do not always need a full branch campus to contribute to India’s research ambitions. Well-designed centres and joint academies can create valuable networks, strengthen doctoral education and support innovation.