80 German universities tour India in effort to boost educational cooperation

Major events are high-level exchange visits to Indian universities, opening of German School of Technology, the APAIE Conference 2025.

India is hosting over 80 German universities and institutions of research, as part of a major move towards increasing academic and research cooperation, says a DAAD press release, the German academic exchange service.

Major events are the visits by top officials to Indian universities, the launch of the German School of Technology at PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, the APAIE Conference 2025, and the Indo-German Forum on Research, Innovation, and Transfer in New Delhi. The events also commemorate the DAAD's 65th anniversary in India and its 100-year-long dedication to international academic cooperation.

The Indo-German partnership in science and education is one of the cornerstones of our bilateral cooperation. It is a joy to witness this exchange increase so dynamically, from year to year," German Ambassador to India and Bhutan Dr. Philipp Ackermann was quoted as saying in the press release.

Ackermann also added that nearly 50,000 Indian students are studying in Germany— the highest number of foreign students from a single nation.

Important events and initiatives

The Higher Education Policy Information visit, starting on 16 March and extending until the 22nd, will host 20 heads of top German universities and academic representatives in Hyderabad and New Delhi. The visit is intended to develop new academic partnerships and enhance institutional ties.

At the same time, German Universities of Applied Sciences representatives will meet in Coimbatore for the opening of the German School of Technology.

This milestone is set to strengthen India-Germany academic ties, especially in technological education.

Additionally, the Indo-German Forum on Research, Innovation, and Transfer in New Delhi will host 250 delegates from the two countries' higher education and research communities. Organised by DWIH New Delhi, the German Centre for Research and Innovation and the DAAD, the event is designed to strengthen academic cooperation and seek new areas of cooperation in education and research.

Dr Katja Lasch, director of DAAD New Delhi, said the increasing involvement of more than 80 German institutions in India demonstrates a firm commitment to developing educational and research partnerships between the two countries. 

India-Germany education relations

Both India and Germany have a long history of collaboration in the fields of higher education, research, and science. Over time, Indo-German cooperation has seen a robust growth, supported by high-level official visits and the increasing significance of Track-II diplomacy, which capitalizes on soft power such as education and scientific cooperation.

The Indo-German academic cooperation started decades back, with significant milestones like the MoU between DAAD and UGC in 2013 for the Indo-German Program (IGP) to enhance higher education cooperation. Both nations have been investing €3.5 million since 2015 to support collaborative educational projects. The 2019 agreement during Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit prolonged the IGP and initiated a collaborative research programme in Artificial Intelligence.

Main areas of cooperation involve collaborative research programmes, staff exchange programmes, creation of Indo-German Max Planck Centers, and mobility programmes. These programmes aim to increase the mobility of students, researchers, and academics, especially in the field of science and technology.

India and Germany cooperated on multiple research initiatives after 2010, such as the Indo-German Science and Technology Center (IGSTC). The IGSTC sustains industrial innovation and research in collaboration with contributions from both governments. Joint research in areas like medical biotechnology, environmental sciences, and agriculture has yielded vast results.

India and Germany also work together through programs like the Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) and Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA), which enable faculty and researcher exchanges. The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) also enables long-term collaborations between international and Indian institutions.