Dharmendra Pradhan hands over Letter of Intent to University of Liverpool for Bengaluru campus
Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, presided over the handover of a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the University of Liverpool in New Delhi on Monday. This marks the second foreign university to receive such an LoI under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2023, which facilitate the establishment of foreign higher educational institutions’ campuses in India.
In his address, Pradhan emphasised that this development underscores India’s growing role as a trusted partner in global higher education. He said the initiative aligns with the transformative vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to create rooted, futuristic, and globally orientated education systems and to produce global citizens.
Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047, Pradhan said that implementation of NEP 2020 is key to achieving this goal. He also stressed the importance of R&D and innovation, noting that the University of Liverpool’s focus on STEM research in India will be mutually beneficial for both academia and society.
The University of Liverpool has received formal approval from the UGC to open its first foreign university campus in Bengaluru. It is expected to begin operations in August 2026 with undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in business management, accounting and finance, computer science, and biomedical sciences. Notably, it will also introduce a game design programme—a first for a UK university campus in India.
The Bengaluru campus is envisioned as a research-intensive environment that will focus on addressing global and local challenges through fundamental, applied, and industry-orientated research. It will also offer global mobility opportunities, enabling Indian and UK-based students to benefit from international exposure and academic exchange.
During the event, three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), AstraZeneca Pharma India Limited, YouWeCan, and Dream11 to explore collaborative initiatives.
Dr Vineet Joshi, in his remarks, described the LoI as more than symbolic, representing India’s broader transformation in higher education through strategic reforms, international partnerships, and policy innovation. He reiterated that NEP 2020 prioritises internationalisation and institutional flexibility to ensure India remains globally competitive in education.
(DD News)
