Warwick B-School eyes on India

After successfully proliferating in the Gulf and China, now India is the new migration point for foreign universities from the West. While heated discussions are going on about the foreign direct investment (FDI) in higher education in India, some business schools from the West has decided to open up their independent campus in India. And the The Warwick Business School, standing 130km from London, is one of the early birds already made up its mind for having a second address in India.

The headquarters in the UK, Warwick B-school is looking at bustling Delhi for its new campus. If everything went right, the Indian campus would offer the same range of courses as that of in UK campus. But Warwick's trump card Masters Business Administration (MBA) will be the cynosure of all its programmes. 

Ever since India spoke of opening its doors to foreign universities, several top institutions have considered coming to its shores, but few have actually taken a step. The Schulich School of Business of Canada's York University is building its campus in Hyderabad. 

Most others have set up India offices that assist and attract prospective students, tap into the colleges' alumni, build relations with large Indian conglomerates, run some short programmes for executives or act as research centres that collect raw material on an emerging economy and a maturing market called India. 

None of that is what Warwick wants to do in India. Like the Schulich School, it is looking at advancing what it has already built in the UK. It is working with the Batra Group, headed by a family that sent many of its children to Warwick for an education. Professor Mark Taylor, who is the dean of Warwick Business School, has made it clear that the school has already commissioned consultants to do a feasibility study into setting up a base campus in one of the major cities of India. It is said that the most probable city going to be blessed with Warwick B-school will be none other than India's capital city, Delhi. But Warwick B-school's top bosses are tight-lipped about the consultancy hired for the study. 

Over a decade ago, Warwick was undoubtedly one of the finest schools in the UK to study business, but it has slipped not just in ranking, but also in students' preferences. In 2009 came its low point when funding was cut based on a UK government Research Assessment Exercise, in which Warwick was trumped by both Cardiff and Manchester business schools. 

Soon after, Professor Mark Taylor, who is the dean of Warwick Business School, took the reins of the school and it swung back to a better place in global rankings. It is yet to clear whether Billionaire business tycoon Anil Ambani has any link on the Warwick's India trip. He is one of the board members of the Warwick Business School and he is the first Indian to be the part of the well-known British Institution's board. As a Wharton MBA Alumnus, Anil Ambani has an eye on higher education biz pie of India too apart from Telecom and Petrochemical business. 

Warwick Business School is the UK's top provider of finance and business research and education and the school's effective blend of Academic research with the practicalities of the workplace is globally reputable. 

Foreign University's discovery of India

Foreign Universities, which hitherto interested in training employees of traditional Indian industries, are now eyeing for more from India. Their interests now revolving around higher education, pharma and healthcare.

Many International institutions have been visiting India to explore the tie-ups in the area of research and development. Some of the famous partnerships are between Newcastle University- Coal India Ltd, University of Pennsylvania- Apollo Hospitals and Duke University- Jubilant Organosys and Medicity. 

On management plank, Harvard Business school has already opened its research base in India. Wharton University, which already have many rich and famous Indian alumni is also busily scouring Indian higher education market. 

Three Canadian B-schools- Schulich school of Business at York University, Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto and Richard Ivey School of Business at University of Western Ontario have already finalized their Indian cities to start their Indian campuses.  Two B-schools from US also have planned their campus in India. And these colleges are Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Georgia Institute of Technolgy respectively. 


Everybody is waiting for the Foreign Education Providers Regulation Bill which is still pending and may open up the scope for foreign educational centres to start their Indian ventures.