Keir Starmer has praised UK universities for expanding into India as he used his first official visit to the country to announce several new higher education and research partnerships.

The prime minister said the wave of new campuses being set up would deliver a £50 million boost to the UK economy, describing it as proof that “our great British universities are admired all over the world for their teaching excellence, high-quality research and commitment to innovation”.

During the Mumbai leg of Starmer’s two-day visit, he confirmed that Lancaster University and the University of Surrey have received approval to open new campuses in India.

They join a growing list of UK institutions expanding into the country, including Southampton, York, Aberdeen, Bristol, Liverpool, Queen’s University Belfast and Coventry.

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Education secretary Bridget Phillipson called the sector’s international success “a marker of our ambition: building long-term partnerships that deliver growth, innovation and opportunity for both countries”.

India currently has about 40 million students in higher education, with demand expected to reach 70 million by 2035.

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British universities are moving quickly to capture that growth following reforms under India’s National Education Policy 2020, which for the first time allows foreign universities to establish branch campuses in the country.

The expansion also feeds into the India-UK Vision 2035, a joint roadmap for deeper collaboration in education, research and innovation.

Surrey’s vice-chancellor, Stephen Jarvis, said its new branch in Gujarat’s GIFT City would be “part of a new wave of British university partnerships with India, using higher education as a powerful skills and research accelerator for UK and Indian economic and trade relationships”.

Lancaster’s pro vice-chancellor global, Simon Guy, described its planned Bengaluru campus as “a vibrant hub of technology, education, and enterprise” that will “partner with Indian businesses, industry and local universities to collaboratively spark growth, generate opportunity, and ensure above all that Lancaster University students across the globe are empowered to succeed”.

The trip also showcased a series of research tie-ups designed to deepen UK-India collaboration in technology and innovation.

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Imperial College London announced a new partnership with Science Gallery Bengaluru, aimed at training “the next generation of science innovators” through joint fellowships and research on “new materials and future foods”.

Imperial’s president, Hugh Brady, called it “a launchpad for UK-India innovation and scientific collaboration”.

Science minister Patrick Vallance said the partnership showed how “science is international by definition…[and] boosts a formidable global network the university is building”.

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UCL unveiled new technology collaborations with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, including joint projects in diagnostics, digital health and assistive technology.

UCL provost Michael Spence said the partnerships would “accelerate progress in healthcare, technology and inclusive innovation”.

International education brought £32 billion in export revenue to the UK in 2022, including nearly £1 billion from international campuses, according to official figures.

Downing Street argues that offering UK degrees in India will strengthen cultural and economic links without adding pressure to migration figures.

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“More Indian students will be able to benefit from a world-class British education,” the prime minister said in Mumbai, “strengthening the ties between our two countries while pumping millions back into our economy.”

tash.mosheim@timeshighereducation.com