An IIT in France? India, France discuss Nice campus as French universities get India invite- Moneycontrol.com

15

Up to ₹50 lakhs | Starts at 9.99%

Trending Topics

The talks also covered French university campuses in India, student and faculty mobility, joint research and revision of the mutual recognition of qualifications agreement.

September 29, 2026 / 09:36 IST

India and France have discussed a proposed IIT campus in Nice, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said after meeting French Minister for Higher Education, Research and Space Philippe Baptiste in New Delhi on Monday.

Joshi said in a post on X that the talks covered the proposed campus along with student and faculty mobility, institutional partnerships, joint research and the revision of the two countries’ Mutual Recognition of Qualifications agreement.

The Education Ministry, in a separate statement, said India had invited French higher education institutions to explore opening branch campuses in the country, including at GIFT City in Gujarat and at locations where French companies operate and require technical manpower.

The ministry did not identify which IIT could establish the proposed Nice campus or provide details on its timeline, academic programmes or approvals.

India expands IIT footprint overseas

The proposal comes as Indian higher education institutions expand their presence outside the country.

IIT Madras opened its Zanzibar campus in 2023, while IIT Delhi established its Abu Dhabi campus in 2024. IIM Ahmedabad followed with an overseas campus in Dubai in 2025, according to information provided by the Education Ministry to Parliament in August.

IIT Madras’ Zanzibar campus has more than 100 students enrolled in BS programmes in Data Science and Chemical Process Engineering, while 35 students have graduated with MTech degrees in Data Science and AI and Ocean Structures. IIT Delhi’s Abu Dhabi campus had 171 students in the 2025-26 academic year across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes, the ministry said.

The Nice proposal also follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the French city in June, when he and President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026.

The three-day event, organised by the Indian government as an Education Ministry initiative, brought Indian deep-tech startups, researchers and higher education institutions together with investors and companies. More than 50 collaboration agreements were concluded during the event, according to the ministry.

French universities invited to India

The discussions run in parallel with India’s efforts to bring overseas universities into the country.

The University Grants Commission notified regulations in November 2023 allowing eligible foreign higher education institutions to establish campuses in India with UGC approval. Institutions must either rank among the top 500 globally or by subject, or demonstrate outstanding expertise in a particular field under criteria set by the commission.

As of August 12, the UGC had issued 16 letters of intent to 15 foreign higher education institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US. Six were for campuses in Karnataka, six in Maharashtra, three in Delhi-NCR and one in Tamil Nadu.

The University of Southampton has established a campus in Gurugram and the University of New South Wales in Bengaluru. Four institutions, the University of York, University of Bristol, University of Aberdeen and Illinois Institute of Technology, had also received approval to begin academic operations in Mumbai, the government told Parliament.

GIFT City operates under a separate regulatory framework overseen by the International Financial Services Centres Authority. Australia’s Deakin University and University of Wollongong have already begun academic operations there. Coventry University, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Surrey had also received in-principle approvals from IFSCA, according to a November 2025 consultation paper.

Student mobility and degree recognition

Education has been an established part of India-France bilateral ties. India’s Ministry of External Affairs estimates that about 10,000 Indian students study in France, while the two countries have set an ambition of reaching 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030.

India and France signed an agreement on mutual recognition of academic qualifications in 2018 to facilitate further study and improve recognition of degrees between the two countries. The two governments are now working on a revision of that agreement, according to the Education Ministry.

The two sides also discussed greater cooperation in life sciences, social sciences and humanities, along with language learning, teacher education and technology-enabled learning.

Baptiste is on a three-day visit to India from September 28 to 30. The visit is taking place during the India-France Year of Innovation 2026, which both governments have used for initiatives spanning research, higher education, startups and technology cooperation.

Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

- On SaturdaysFind the best of Al News in one place, specially curated for you every weekend.

- Daily-WeekdaysStay on top of the latest tech trends and biggest startup news.

Powered by शिक्षा खबर Skillogy