German universities reluctant to join India campus boom

German universities are highly unlikely to open campuses in India despite the launch of a road map between the two countries, according to academics, who say public funding constraints can limit how German higher education institutions engage internationally. 

This week German chancellor Friedrich Merz embarked on a state visit to India, where he announced a series of agreements alongside Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, including an Indo-German higher education road map aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries. Modi also invited leading German universities to establish campuses in India.

Academics, however, say that German universities will not be rushing to set up shop in India, which has recently attracted a wave of interest from UK and Australian universities seeking to establish outposts. Many German universities have strong ties to India through partnerships and a growing number of Indian students. Experts expect that partnerships and mobility schemes, which are less risky than setting up a campus, are likely to multiply. 

“[The road map] should be understood as part of a broader trend of expanding international academic cooperation beyond the Anglosphere in the context of shifting patterns of globalisation and growing multipolarity,” said Tim Rottleb, postdoctoral researcher in macroeconomics at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. “I do not think that this signals an imminent surge in German international branch campuses.”

Rottleb’s research on German higher education shows that universities have historically been cautious about establishing full-fledged campuses abroad. Unlike many Anglo-Saxon institutions, German institutions are publicly funded and face less pressure to seek new revenue streams overseas. Financial risks combined with a preference for “less resource-intensive forms of internationalisation”, have reinforced this approach, he added. 

These dynamics are evident at Heidelberg University, which has strong ties to India through its longstanding partnerships and where Indian students make up the second-largest international cohort after those from the European Union. The university, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, was focused on expanding these partnerships instead of pursuing a stand-alone campus in India, said Suboor Bakht, director of the Heidelberg Centre South Asia. 

“Setting up a campus means a lot of commitment, not just a financial commitment but also scientific and management commitment.  At this stage, the university is not going for that option. Rather, we want to deepen our existing projects,” Bakht said, adding that the agreement signed between the two countries was being discussed extensively at the centre. 

Heidelberg currently has 63 cooperation projects with India. One example is the Heidelberg-Hyderabad Hub for Advanced Chemical Education, a physical space within an Indian campus that will host joint study programmes. The initiative is expected to develop gradually and move towards joint master’s and PhD programmes, according to Bakht. 

The partnership has prompted discussion about closer EU-India cooperation in research. Jan Palmowski, secretary general of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, said closer collaboration through frameworks such as Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ could play an important role, alongside a new EU-India Science, Technology and Innovation Agreement expected later this year.

“I would strongly welcome India joining the leading [research and innovation] nations that have already chosen to associate with Horizon Europe, including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Canada, as well as the UK and Switzerland closer to home,” he added. 

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com