York University, Canada with O.P. Jindal Global University aim to Strengthen Higher Education in India

Progressive universities are essential to facilitate global engagement to address complex challenges facing the world, says Dr. Rhonda L. Lenton, Vice-Chancellor, York University

Bangalore, Sept 22, 2023: O.P. Jindal Global University and Canada’s York University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for academic collaboration and supporting student mobility between the two countries. The MoU will grow the collaborations that they have in academic programming, research, innovation, entrepreneurship activities, and conferences.

As part of the partnership, the two universities intend to focus on student and faculty exchange programs, short-term study abroad programs, dual-degree programs, and collaborative research projects.

York University, Canada’s third largest University and ranked in the world’s top 40 for its impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, is proud to invest in several critical initiatives that will strengthen its ties with India and create mutually beneficial opportunities for talented students and researchers, including an India Immersion Programme with O.P. Jindal Global University as it’s important for Canadian students to understand India, its growth story and the impact of India on the world.

The university is working in collaboration with partners around the world. It offers high-quality programs and leadership in world-class interdisciplinary research such as a CA$ 318-million Connected Minds Initiative that will enable industries to bring equitable technologies to market sooner and train the next generation of students.

There will further be a Pan-India entrepreneurship boot camp that will expose talented students to the world’s largest business and consumer market; and the launch of a new global research seed fund that will invest in global research collaborations with leading universities, industries, government agencies and NGOs in priority countries such as India. Like many prestigious Indian industries and institutions, York is prioritizing teaching, research and knowledge mobilization in areas that will address equity and inclusion. York is the first Canadian University to have a United Nations CIFAL Training Centre dedicated to promoting intersectoral cooperation on policy development in areas such as disaster risk, emergency management and humanitarian actions; health, development, environment and climate change and equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is also the lead academic partner in a transformative new Global Water Academy that aims to tackle the water sustainability crisis in partnership with UNITAR.

Prof. (Dr.) Rhonda L. Lenton, the eighth President and Vice-Chancellor of York University, and Prof. (Dr.) C Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University, announced a slew of joint initiatives as part of the MoU. These include the launch of an India Immersion Program for Canadian students to enable them to better understand India as a country and its growth story.

Highlighting the importance of progressive universities in today’s world, Prof. (Dr.) Rhonda L. Lenton, said: “As the world recovers from a global pandemic, progressive universities like York University and O.P. Jindal Global University have an opportunity to play a greater role in facilitating global engagement to address incredibly complex challenges – from rising geopolitical tensions, economies destabilized by inflation, and surging temperatures that threaten the demise of our planet – all the while navigating the rapid deployment of advanced technologies such as AI and automation. India and Canada are natural partners to lead in this new global context. Moreover, India is one of the world’s fastest growing markets an having our students come here for short entrepreneurship study tours under partnerships is a crucial development.”

Said Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar: “In India’s quest to create a global arena of knowledge exchange and opportunities, Canada is an important partner. The collaboration with York University, Canada’s leading university, is a significant milestone in our institutional journey. Recent data from the Canadian Bureau for International Education shows that nearly 34% of Canada’s international students come from India. There is a need to encourage growth in the number of Canadian students visiting India in near future. As India’s leading private university, this relationship will not only boost the association between our universities but also strengthen the long-term educational relationship between India and Canada.”

He added: “In the field of education, India and Canada have a close and long-standing relationship. Higher education and research partnerships are a critical part of the Canada-India bilateral relationship. As is natural for two countries that share so many diplomatic and cultural associations, areas such as student mobility, research partnerships and educational exchanges are of ever-increasing productive cooperation. Since our founding in 2009, our vision has been focused on building India’s first ‘Global University.’ We have proven our commitment to this vision by instilling internationalism in every aspect of higher education, ensuring a global learning experience in an international setting. As India moves towards establishing a $5 trillion economy, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship going to become very critical and York and other Indian universities can be at the forefront towards advancing innovation, technology and promoting entrepreneurship.”