A new set of India-UK Achievers Honours has been launched in London to celebrate the educational and professional achievements of Indian students who helped bolster the bilateral relationship.
To mark 75 years of India's independence, the honours to cover 75 high achievers were formally unveiled at the UK Parliament complex on Wednesday by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK (NISAU UK) in partnership with the British Council in India as part of their year-long “India/UK Together Season of Culture”.
The UK government’s Department for International Trade (DIT) is among the partners in the project, which will pick the 75 winners following a nominations process running over the course of the next few weeks.
"The UK's higher education system has a proud reputation and is one of our most valuable exports,” said Marcus Fysh, UK Minister for Exports.
"Our International Education Strategy commits to sustainably growing education exports to GBP 35 billion by 2030, with India as one of the five priority markets,” he said.
The India UK Achievers Honours launch was hosted by Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for International Students and President of the UK Council of International Student Affairs, and Virendra Sharma, veteran Labour MP and Chair of the Indo-British APPG.
"The Indian Institute of Technology are now opening abroad and we at Birmingham are talking to one of them and there is a very good chance that we will have an IIT campus within Birmingham University. Can you imagine the research and exchange of students,” said Lord Bilimoria.
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"Young students are the future leaders of the world, and they are the visionaries who will strengthen the ties between India and the UK,” added Sharma.
The honours come as the two countries negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA), which is expected to enhance opportunities for Indian students to study in the UK and boost collaboration in fields such as pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
"This campaign is incredibly timely... We take for granted the huge benefits international students bring to us. They bring in not just economic and social benefits but international students form friendships that we hope go on to form ties of trade, commerce and diplomacy,” said Lord Jo Johnson, former UK universities minister, who called for greater two-way student exchanges.
"In this 75th anniversary year of Indian independence and the 10th anniversary of the NISAU, our aim is to celebrate the achievements of Indian students and alumni and inspire future generations of learners to use their global education to contribute to nation-building in India and for the wider global good,” said NISAU Chair Sanam Arora.
Indian students and alumni of British education institutions can nominate themselves and others online at AchieversShowcase.Com under five categories: Business & Entrepreneurship; Government, Politics, Law & Society; Education, Science & Innovation; Media & Journalism; and Arts, Culture, Entertainment & Sports. As per the criteria for entry, nominees must be under 49 years of age by August 2023 and hold an Indian passport during the year of study in the UK.
The nominations will then undergo a rigorous selection process by an eminent jury drawn from several leading UK universities including the University of Oxford, London School of Economics, King's College London, Imperial College London, SOAS and University of Reading.
The results of the application process will be unveiled at a gala ceremony at the British High Commissioner’s residence in New Delhi on December 10.
Vivienne Stern, CEO of Universities UK and a member of the jury, said: “The 75 individuals we choose will help us to illustrate to the people why international education is precious and matters and why we should fight to preserve it.
"I hope we will be able to use the brilliant stories that this initiative produces to help us illustrate the case using individual human beings and the contributions they make.”