Dutch Research Universities Seek Partnership with Indian Counterparts
13 Mar 2008
From 8 to 15 March 2008, a representation of the research universities in the Netherlands are visiting India to strengthen scientific cooperation in education and research.
The delegation comprises university presidents and top scientists from both technological and comprehensive uiniversities and is joined by important partners from government and academic society. The delegation is headed by Dr. Sijbolt Noorda, president of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) and former president of the University of Amsterdam.
Financial support
To support their serious intentions, the universities have put forward a substantial number of paid positions and scholarships fro PhD students from India. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, the national funding council, is also in favour of further bilateral collaboration and will launch a programme to support new initiatives. They will join the mission to identify areas of scientific cooperation and seek possible partners.
Succesful partnerships
That partnerships between both countries can be very successful is shown by the various recent examples. The Joint master programme in Computer Science and Engineering, offered by the University of Manipal and Eindhoven University of Technology, with support of Philips is one of those innovative examples. Besides, Utrecht University organizes a series of thematic seminars at various universities and institutes in India to seek partnerships in research and education. Furthermore, Utrecht will launch a Short Stay Fellowships Programme from PhD students from India. Maastricht University works together with Indian institutions in a European Commission funded project regarding the ethics of scientific and technological research. And finally, Wageningen University and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation have long established research ties in agriculture and life sciences.
Strengths in research and education
Dutch research universities do well in international rankings: 9 universities feature in the European top 100 of the Shanghai ranking and 12 universities in the European 150 of the Times Higher Education Supplement. Dutch academia have an established reputation in scientific disciplines, such as medical technology, public health, economics, nanotechnology, food and nutrition, genomics, renewable energy, water, and international law.
The Times Higher Education Supplement reported in 2007: “the Netherlands emerges as Continental Europe’s principal power in higher education.” The open, international atmosphere and the quality of the education offered also attract many international students. 15 percent of Master Degree students come from abroad. The fact that more than 50 percent of the Masters programmes are taught in English makes the Dutch academic programmes internationally very accessible and interesting. In the setting of an international classroom, students are well prepared for the increasingly international labour market.
For further information about the mission, and specific information for students, scholars and researchers from India wishing to collaborate with, or study at Dutch universities, please visit http://dutchsciencecareers.in