Cambridge University launches new research hub as it expands India outreach

London, Jan 27 (PTI) The University of Cambridge on Tuesday announced an expanded outreach in India with the launch of a new research hub and additional entry pathways for top tier undergraduate students.

The Cambridge-India Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) will focus on innovation, research and learning, establishing a bridge between one of the world’s leading universities in the UK and India’s growing knowledge economy.

The new centre is expected to operate as a hub for the university’s presence in India, serving as a catalyst for intellectual exchange, policy influence and societal impact.

“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,” said Cambridge Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice.

Leading a senior delegation to Delhi this week, Professor Prentice also unveiled plans for the CBSE Class XII qualification to be accepted by the university for “some undergraduate courses, alongside additional requirements”.

It comes as Cambridge established the Cambridge India Research Foundation, a company to enable members of the public, Cambridge alumni and other stakeholders to provide funds for bursaries, fees and other expenses incurred by Indian students studying in Cambridge, as well as supporting research partnerships. It is aimed at exploring new philanthropic opportunities for the funding of scholarships for India’s most talented students.

“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,” said Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India.

The Cambridge-India CAS is designed 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 multi-sited and multi-dimensional centre is set to act as a framework for a portfolio of activity across different parts of India “without the limits of a specific physical presence”.

As part of other plans announced this week, the Cambridge University Men’s Cricket Team will tour India for pre-season warm up games in March 2026 for the first time in 15 years. Plans are also under way for the Cambridge Women’s team to visit India next year.

“Our best cricketers are looking forward to testing their skills against their Indian counterparts,” the Vice-Chancellor stated.

Legendary Indian cricketer Ranjitsinhji (Ranji) was a student at Trinity College, University of 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, the university highlighted.

Cambridge 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 held annually at the historic ground.

Besides Delhi, the senior Cambridge delegation covering 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.

“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,” said Vira.

The university is keen to highlight its strong connection with India going back more than 150 years, with renowned scientists Jagadish Chandra Bose, Srinivasa Ramanujan, M S Swaminathan and Jayant Narlikar having studied at Cambridge.

Nobel Laureates Subrahmanyam Chandrashekhar, Venki Ramakrishnan and Amartya Sen as well as former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh and former president Shankar Dayal Sharma and nationalist leader Subhash Chandra Bose are among other well-known Indian alumni.

In the world of industry, Cambridge alumni have included Sir Dorabji Tata, and more recently Cipla Chairman Yusuf Hamied and Cobra Beer founder Lord Karan Bilimoria. The university also counts prominent writers Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Sir Salman Rushdie among its illustrious alumni.

Cambrige University said it wants to build on these historic links to create dynamic new partnerships with India. PTI AK SCY SCY