Karnataka

France keen on tie-ups in Bangalore

R. Chandrakanth

A new push to attract students from the subcontinent `This is just the beginning of increased Indo-French cooperation.'

BORDEAUX (FRANCE): Reflecting a new-found enthusiasm in educational institutions in France to attract Indian students, particularly at the master's and Ph.D. level, having sensed their potential, more and more of the institutions are throwing open their doors to them. And Bangalore is top-of-the-charts here.

Though there has been a sprinkling of Indian students here over the years, a push to get them in droves is becoming noticeable.

Meanwhile, French universities, grande ècoles (similar to the Indian Institutes of Technology), and ècole normale superieures (institutions for master's programmes and research) are on the lookout for partnerships with Indian institutions.

Targeting India

Jean Dorey, Director-General of Lyon University, said: "We are targeting India. With China we have reached `cruise speed' and the tie-ups with Brazil are encouraging. As for India, we are now making a beginning."

The Rhone-Alpes region has taken the lead by signing a memorandum of understanding with Karnataka to promote, among other things, student exchanges and joint research programmes.

Recalling a deal signed by the French Prime Minister, Jean Pierre Raffarin, and the (then) Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, on February 6, 2003, Michel Futin, Director, Development & Enterprise Partnerships, ècole Centrale de Lyon, said: "We will be going to Bangalore in October and want to further collaborate in high-level mechanics, aerospace engineering, rocket motor design and information technology. There are considerable synergies [that] we can build with higher institutions of learning in Bangalore."

Along with Lyon, Grenoble, another town in the Rhone-Alpes region, and Bordeaux, have started working with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, in areas such as nanotechnology, organic chemistry and environmental engineering.

Collaborative research

The University of Joseph Fourier in Grenoble and the IISc are working out modalities for collaborative research in nanotechnology.

The Grenoble ècole de Management (school of management) is setting up a teaching centre in Bangalore in cooperation with local partners. The centre is to open in October. The school, in association with Bangalore University and a centre for executive education in Bangalore, has formed a consortium.

The Dean of the Grenoble school, Thierry Grange, said: "We believe that Bangalore is a good place to establish this new outlet since IT activity and e-business are well represented locally and big multinational companies are outsourcing production, processing and research and development there."

Language

While these efforts seem to have their resonance for higher education (master's and above), at the undergraduate level the number of students coming from India is not encouraging. Officials here concede that language is one of the limiting factors. Not wanting to lose out on international students, France has now embarked on a programme wherein certain courses will be taught in English in the first year, by which time the student is expected to pick up French. "The French understand the importance of English. Actually it is `Globish," remarked Prof. Dorey.

The strategy of the French is two-pronged: institution-to-institution networking and offers from the French Government, through its Embassy in India, scholarships, exchange programmes and so on. It has plans to invite French students to do their internships in India, for which packages are offered.

Phillipe Martineau, Attachè for Scientific Affairs, Embassy of France in India, said: "This is just the beginning of increased Indo-French cooperation." The Embassy is bringing a delegation of academics from various schools in France to India in November, in the hope of furthering educational ties between the two countries.

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