Four priorities for joint action
The roundtable tested four areas in which coordinated action by governments, regulators, universities and professional bodies could help successful partnerships scale.
1. Create more predictable routes for research and innovation
Short funding windows and uncertainty over eligibility make it difficult to develop ambitious bilateral programmes. Participants called for longer-term, jointly assessed funding mechanisms that can support university-industry consortia, co-supervised doctoral study and collaboration in shared priority areas. Clearer treatment of international campuses within research funding, intellectual property, data governance and export-control frameworks will also be important.
2. Establish a UK-India higher education facilitation mechanism
The 2022 memorandum on mutual recognition of academic qualifications created an important foundation. However, credit transfer, grading equivalence, joint and dual awards, and professional recognition in regulated fields can still require repeated programme-by-programme negotiation. A standing mechanism bringing together universities, governments, regulators and professional bodies could develop clearer, more reusable pathways and provide named points of contact.
3. Make mobility more reciprocal and more accessible
Student mobility remains important, but participants emphasised the need for a wider lens. Faculty, doctoral researchers, technical staff and early-career academics also need affordable, predictable routes for short and repeated visits. Visa costs, processing uncertainty and changing post-study arrangements can weaken confidence and make even well-funded partnerships difficult to deliver. Institutions, in turn, must invest in mobility in both directions and report transparently on participation and outcomes.
4. Enable a wider range of high-quality transnational models
India’s scale and diversity require multiple approaches. Alongside international campuses, participants highlighted joint institutions, co-located provision, joint and dual degrees, hybrid learning and shorter mobility models. Greater regulatory clarity could allow institutions to test approaches that are locally relevant and affordable, while maintaining robust academic governance, equivalent quality standards and strong student protection.
