On a visit to India by a senior delegation from the UK university, Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice set out a series of measures designed to build dynamic new partnerships and encourage potential donors, plus a key policy change to help talented Indian students to apply to Cambridge.
Professor Prentice announced the launch of the Cambridge-India Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) with a focus on innovation, research and learning. The Cambridge-India CAS establishes a bridge between the University of Cambridge, globally renowned as a leader in science and technology, and India's rapidly evolving knowledge economy. The Centre, operating as a hub for the University’s presence in India, will serve as a catalyst for intellectual exchange, policy influence, and societal impact.
In her speech, the Vice-Chancellor also paid tribute to Sir Mark Tully, the legendary BBC correspondent who studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and who lived much of his life in India. Sir Mark's death, at the age of 90, was announced on Sunday, and his cremation took place in Delhi yesterday. For decades he was a widely respected reporter and commentator on India.
In addition, the University will broaden undergraduate entry pathways for top students educated in India. The Indian CBSE Class XII qualification will now be accepted by the University for some undergraduate courses, alongside additional requirements where appropriate. The University is also exploring new philanthropic opportunities for the funding of scholarships for India’s most talented students.
Cambridge has also established a Section 8 company in India, the Cambridge India Research Foundation, which enables members of the public, Cambridge alumni, and friends of the University in India to provide funds for bursaries, fees and other expenses incurred by Indian students studying in Cambridge, as well as supporting research partnerships. More information is available at: www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/how-to-give-to-cambridge/cambridge-india-rese...
Building on strong sporting links, the Cambridge University Men's Cricket Team will tour India for pre-season warm up games in March 2026 for the first time in fifteen years. Plans are also under way for the Cambridge Women's team to visit India next year. The legendary cricketer, Ranjitsinhji (Ranji), was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, at the end of the 19th century, as was his nephew, Duleepsinghji, a few years later. Both received Cambridge Blues for representing the university, before going on to achieve even greater success at international level.
Vice-Chancellor Prentice said:“I am delighted to build on the strong and deep links between Cambridge University and India. The Cambridge-India CAS is an exciting opportunity to form collaborations with the best researchers and innovators in India and strengthen ties with such a rapidly growing knowledge economy. And our best cricketers are looking forward to testing their skills against their Indian counterparts.”
The British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, said: “Cambridge is amongst the world’s very best universities, and I welcome this brilliant step forward in its links with India. Education lies at the heart of UK-India Vision 2035 - our shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of global talent. These initiatives are bringing the UK and India’s world-class research and education even closer together through innovative platforms and channels for collaboration, helping unlock the full potential of our revitalised partnership.”
The senior Cambridge delegation visiting Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru this week includes Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, Professor Bhaskar Vira, who is the first Indian Pro-Vice-Chancellor from India in the University’s 800-year history. Professor Vira recently presented the Discovery Channel series, Embers of Hope, on India’s environmental challenges, with legendary actress Zeenat Aman.
Commenting on the initiatives, Professor Vira said:“It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm of our colleagues in Cambridge and our partners in India for the Cambridge-India CAS. I’m looking forward to this next chapter in the relationship between Cambridge and India.”
The new Cambridge-India CAS Centre will provide a hub for the University’s activities in India, and will feature three integrated elements which align strongly with the UK Government’s recently announced International Education Strategy:
- Centre for Advanced Research and Synthesis: a research institute, hosting programmes co-convened by Cambridge and Indian research leads
- Knowledge-Policy-Innovation Hub: addressing issues of knowledge transfer and impact by creating an incubation space for academics, innovators, entrepreneurs and decision makers
- The Learning Hub: providing learning opportunities, scholarships and mobility programmes for students and staff.
Cambridge-India CAS will act as an “umbrella” for a range of programmes, building on the many bilateral partnerships between the University and India over recent decades. Working with partners, the Centre will act as a framework for a portfolio of activity across the whole of India without the limits of a specific physical presence. It will be multi-sited, and multi-dimensional.
One of the first initiatives under the Learning Hub was announced this week, with the establishment of a Real Estate educational programme by P E Analytics Ltd, with technical assistance and curriculum support from the University of Cambridge's Department of Land Economy, working towards the creation of the first School of Real Estate in India. Senior members of the University are also attending the India Global Education Summit in Chennai on 28-29 January.
The University is also planning to hold a UK-India partners event at Lord's Cricket Ground in London in May on the occasion of the historic Oxford-Cambridge Varsity cricket match, which is held each year at the historic ground.
Well-known Indians who studied at Cambridge include the scientists Jagadish Chandra Bose, Srinivasa Ramanujan, M S Swaminathan and Jayant Narlikar, and the Nobel Laureates Subrahmanyam Chandrashekhar, Venki Ramakrishnan and Amartya Sen. They have included prominent nation builders including former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh as well as former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and nationalist leader Subhash Chandra Bose. In the world of industry, Cambridge alumni include Sir Dorabji Tata, as well as Chairman of Cipla, Yusuf Hamied, and Lord Karan Bilimoria, founder of Cobra Beer, while prominent writers Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Sir Salman Rushdie were also both educated at Cambridge.
A series of new initiatives spanning research, technology, student access and cricket have been announced by the University of Cambridge on a high-level visit to India, renewing a relationship between the university and India which goes back more than 150 years.
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