New Delhi: As over a dozen foreign universities race to plant their flags in India under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the hunt for academic talent has begun, with more than 400 faculty positions expected to open in the coming years.
The expansion is also creating opportunities for Indian academics overseas to return home, including current and former faculty at foreign universities facing challenges such as geopolitical tensions and job losses.
“Considering the number of students studying at these campuses in India, it is expected that these branch campuses will attract close to 400-450 faculties in the next 2-3 years,” said Sahil Gupta, partner at Deloitte India.
A total of 15 foreign university licences have been issued by the University Grants Commission, with five more approved in GIFT City, Gujarat, he added.
Institutions that are operational or setting up campuses in India include Deakin University, University of Wollongong, University of Southampton, University of Liverpool, Illinois Institute of Technology, Queen’s University Belfast, University of Bristol, University of York, University of New South Wales, University of Aberdeen, Victoria University and Lancaster University.
“Given the global uncertainties, tense geopolitical conditions and cost pressure-led restructurings at some institutions, this opens up new avenues for foreign-based Indian faculties to teach and research in India with at-par global systems,” said Gupta.
Lindsay Oades, provost and professor of wellbeing science at the University of York-Mumbai, told ET that the university is recruiting talent from India and overseas while also facilitating faculty exchanges from its home campus.
“We are hiring individuals from India and overseas, as well as offering some secondments from the University of York, with the aim of creating a campus that is rooted in the learning and research environment of York but has a truly global feel,” Oades said.
Most institutions are expected to appoint senior leadership such as provosts and deans from their home campuses, while the bulk of faculty hiring will focus on Indians based in India or overseas, experts said.
For international faculty of Indian origin facing visa issues in the West, the expansion offers an opportunity to relocate, said Ashwin Damera, CEO and co-founder of Emeritus and Eruditus, which is assisting some universities in setting up campuses in India.
“Each of these universities is looking at hiring at least five Indian-origin teaching faculty outside India,” he said.
