# Going global can do wonders
                                                    for brand IIT

**Source**: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/rendezvous/going-global-can-do-wonders-for-brand-iit/
**Parent**: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/rendezvous/

Now that
IIT
Delhi
and IIT
Madras
have
been
granted
permission
to start
their
international
campuses
in Abu
Dhabi
and
Tanzania,
respectively, **Prof
V
Ramgopal
Rao** examines
the
benefits
IITs can
gain
from
these
international
campuses,
and what
needs to
be done
to
leverage
this
opportunity

The
National
Education
Policy
released
in 2020
opened
doors
for
India’s
public
funded
higher
educational
institutions
to open
campuses
abroad.
IIT
Delhi
was the
first
public
funded
institution
in the
country
to
approach
the
government
in 2020
for
permission
to open
a campus
abroad.
Now, IIT
Delhi
and IIT
Madras
have
been
granted
permission
to start
their
international
campuses
in Abu
Dhabi
and
Tanzania,
respectively.
Other
IITs may
follow
suit.
This is
indeed a
historical
moment
for
India
with our
public
funded
institutions
venturing
into
foreign
shores.
Let’s
examine
the
benefits
IITs can
gain
from
these
international
campuses,
and what
needs to
be done
to
leverage
this
opportunity?

**Increased
diversity** —
Operating
campuses
in
different
countries
helps
attract
a
diverse
pool of
students
from
various
cultural
and
educational
backgrounds.
This
enriches
the
learning
experience,
fosters
cross-cultural
understanding,
and
prepares
students
for a
globalised
world.
It is
important,
therefore,
to not
rely on
just the
Indian
diaspora
to study
in these
campuses
but
rather
to
attract
students
of
diverse
nationalities.

**International
rankings** — In
this
year’s
QS World
University
Rankings,
our
older
five
IITs
received
an
average
of 1.3
points
out of
100 for
international
students
and 2.9
points
out of
100 for
international
faculty.
This
pulls
down
their
international
rankings
considerably.
Given
the
challenges
with
infrastructure,
admission
policies
and
cultural
differences,
it is
difficult
to
expect
international
students
to come
and
study in
IITs in
India.
By
having
international
campuses
and
offering
Bachelor
of
Science
(BS)
programs
(so as
not to
dilute
the
brand
value of
B.Tech
degrees
offered
in
Indian
campuses),
there is
an
opportunity
to
expand
the IIT
brand
globally
and
attract
more
foreign
students
to its
Indian
campuses
as well.
This
cross-pollination
of
talent
and
ideas
can
elevate
the
institution’s
status
and
rankings.
Another
way to
improve
cultural
diversity
is to
have
students
in these
international
campuses
spend
time on
the main
campus
in India
for a
minimum
of one
semester
to a
year, as
part of
their
curriculum
requirements.
The
enhanced
fee
charged
from
these
students
can help
support
the
infrastructure
requirements
to host
them.
This
will
also
significantly
enhance
our
international
rankings.

**Global
reputation
enhancement** — One
of the
reasons
for the
poor
showing
in
international
rankings
is also
because
of low
perception
scores.
In the
last QS
Global
University
Rankings,
the five
older
IITs
scored
an
average
of 21.9
points
out of
100 in
the
total
weighted
reputation
score.
Having
an
international
footprint
will
help
improve
perception
of our
institutions
which,
in turn,
can help
our
standing
in
international
rankings.

**Revenue
generation** —
International
campuses
can add
an
additional
revenue
source
for
IITs.
They can
charge
higher
fees,
and if
properly
managed
and with
rules
permitting,
surplus
funds
can be
reinvested
in the
main
campus
back in
India,
improving
infrastructure
and
academic
facilities
here.

**Collaboration
opportunities** — They
can also
serve as
hubs for
collaboration
with
foreign
universities,
research
institutions,
and
industries.
This
facilitates
knowledge
exchange,
joint
research
projects,
and
technology
transfer,
leading
to
innovations
and
advancements
in
various
fields.

**International
faculty
recruitments** —
Freed of
rigid
salary
slabs
that
exist on
Indian
campuses,
these
foreign
campuses
may
attract
more
international
scholars
as
faculty.
Main
campuses
need to
utilise
this
global
talent
pool.
For
example,
it is
well-known
that
research
papers
co-authored
with
international
scholars
receive
twice
the
number
of
citations
as
compared
to
purely
national
collaborations.

**Alumni
engagement** —
Having
overseas
campuses
can
strengthen
ties
with IIT
alumni
spread
across
the
world.
This
support
can be
crucial
for
funding
research,
scholarships,
and
infrastructure
development.

**Addressing
brain
drain** — By
offering
quality
education
and
research
opportunities
abroad,
Indian
institutions
can
potentially
retain
some of
the top
Indian
talent
that
might
otherwise
have
gone
elsewhere.

**Policy
influence** —
Global
presence
of our
institutions
can also
provide
India
with
greater
leverage
in
shaping
policies,
both in
India
and the
host
countries
of their
international
campuses.
This
soft
power
can help
improve
India’s
prestige
abroad.

However,
establishing
and
maintaining
international
campuses
also
come
with
challenges
such as
meeting
regulatory
requirements,
availability
of
resources,
ensuring
quality
control,
and
maintaining
the
institution’s
core
values
and
standards
across
all
campuses.
It is
also
important
not to
overdo
this. We
need to
see how
the two
extension
campuses
perform
before
expanding
on this
model
further
with
other
IITs.
With
careful
planning
and
execution,
the
benefits
can
outweigh
the
challenges,
contributing
to the
overall
growth,
reputation
and
global
rankings
of our
institutions.

*The
author
is
currently
the
Group
Vice-Chancellor,
Birla
Institute
of
Technology
&
Science,
and
has
served
as
the
Director
of
IIT
Delhi
between
2016
and
2021.
This
article
was
first
published
in
The
Times
of
India
and
has
been
reproduced
with
permission.
You
can
read
the
article
here: <https://bit.ly/45QyFWZ>*

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