APPENDIX 33
Memorandum by the UK India Education and
Research Initiative (UKIERI)
1. The UKIERI is a five year initiative
which aims to substantially improve educational links between
India and UK ensuring in the longer term we become each other's
partner of choice in education. Announced by the Prime Minister
during his visit to India in September 2005, the initiative is
currently in the design phase, with pilot activity due to start
in February 2006, and mainstream funding coming on line in April.
HMG has committed £10 million to this initiative, through
contributions from DfES, FCO, British Council and OST. This will
be augmented by contributions from business and the educational
institutions involved in the initiative.
2. The main focus of the investment will
be on higher education and, within this, promoting a strong emphasis
on research oriented links between centres of excellence. We expect
high impact in areas of science, technology and social sciences
that are crucial for the future of both countries and their place
in the globalised and increasingly knowledge based economy. A
key component will be to encourage substantially more doctorate
and post-doctorate collaboration between India and UK, through
split PhDs, research fellowships or other mechanisms.
3. The Initiative will also activities devoted
to a strengthening of Professional and Technical Skills, by developing
links between centres of vocational excellence in both countries,
and providing opportunities for workforce development in areas
of skills gaps, identified by the business community. Activities
in schools will also be an integral element of the Initiative,
bringing together clusters of schools in the UK and India together
for joint curriculum projects and professional development.
4. By strengthening institution to institution
collaboration and promoting stronger links to industry and related
communities, this initiative will lead ultimately to India and
the UK being each other's preferred partner once again. The Initiative
will be flexible and responsive to the needs of these partners
so that good ideas that contribute to relevance, sustainability
and impact of the partnerships will be welcomed. Proposals will
be peer reviewed but the proposal, selection and implementation
requirements will be minimal with excellence, relevance to UK
and India, quality of planning and sustainability being important
criteria.
5. The Initiative will also ensure that
the UK and India are engaging in constructive dialogue on key
policy issues. We will work with central and state government,
regulatory bodies, associations and individual institutions to
ensure that our respective international educational policies
are harmonised to best effect and to support each others broader
international educational aspirations (such as membership of the
Washington Accord for India). We will be responsive to the varying
needs of the state governments and educational sectors. We expect
this dialogue to lower barriers to co-operation on both sides
and therefore enhance the overall effectiveness of the Initiative
(eg transferability of national awards leading to greater student
mobility).
6. UKIERI is being designed after extensive
consultation in India and UK, including educational institutions
and the business sector. Decisions are made by a Project Board
chaired by Bill Rammell representing the main funding agencies
with advice from a wide range of bodies.
7. Prospective business partners have been
involved in the design phase of the Initiative from its inception,
with a number of UK, multinational and Indian companies already
expressing strong interest in participation and support. Business
partners will play a full role in the Initiative, engaging with
academic and other institutions involved, particularly in key
areas of interest such as engineering, IT, energy and financial
services. Businesses will support academic and research collaborations
in areas of particular interest, contribute to the Initiative's
skills agenda in their particular sectors, and engage in schools
projects aligning with their social investment goals. In response
to feedback from business partners, the project team for the Initiative
is now actively exploring creation of a dedicated "Business
Zone" for the initiative, pulling together activities in
skills, professional development, enterprise education, and business
related higher education.
8. The Initiative is due to be formally
launched in early March 2006 with the main funding coming on stream
from 1 April. Pilot projects will be launched in joint research
and schools in February/March 2006.
UKIERI ACTIVITIES
General
— Policy dialogue and formulation.
Higher Education
— Joint research—based on
institution to institution partnerships and including PhD scholarships,
post doctoral research and exchanges.
— Collaborative delivery of programmes—eg
jointly delivered masters programmes in key areas.
— Student mobility programme (especially
students to India).
Professional and Technical Skills
— Collaborative delivery of programmes
to develop innovative training solutions benchmarked to international
practice that address skills gaps and needs in industry.
— Professional work placements
and apprenticeship exchange schemes.
Schools
— Collaborative projects between
school clusters.
— Exchanges in policy and professional
practice.
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