BIBHUDATTA PRADHAN
India and France on Monday moved to deepen their education and research partnership, with discussions focusing on academic mobility, innovation, joint programmes and institutional linkages, including an invitation to French universities to explore setting up branch campuses in India, including at GIFT City and locations with a strong presence of French companies.
Union Minister for Education Pralhad Joshi held a bilateral meeting with France’s Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space Philippe Baptiste in New Delhi, where the two sides explored new avenues to deepen the longstanding education and knowledge partnership between the two countries.
Welcoming Baptiste and his delegation, Joshi highlighted the longstanding India-France partnership and said education was an important pillar of the bilateral relationship. He noted that the India-France Year of Innovation 2026 provided an opportunity to further deepen collaboration in education, research and innovation, according to the Ministry of Education.
The two sides discussed potential engagements in higher education, including strengthening institutional linkages, promoting student, faculty and researcher mobility, and expanding collaborative academic programmes and exchanges. They also explored greater cooperation in life sciences, social sciences and humanities, with an emphasis on institutional interaction, joint academic activities and research.
The Ministers also exchanged views on promoting knowledge partnerships and discussed opportunities to build on existing institutional collaborations while creating new avenues for joint academic and research initiatives.
Focus on language learning, digital education and qualifications
Acknowledging the importance of people-to-people ties, the two sides explored opportunities to strengthen language learning and teacher education, facilitate the sharing of academic expertise and promote technology-enabled learning.
The discussions also covered the ongoing revision of the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications (MRQ) Agreement between India and France, along with sharing experiences and best practices in digital education and leveraging technology to expand access to quality learning.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to further deepen India-France cooperation in higher education, innovation, language education and digital learning.