With the announcement of its Center for Education and Engagement in India and the establishment of a U.S.-India Center of Excellence in Semiconductors in collaboration with the India Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, with backing from the Indian and U.S. governments, Purdue University is further solidifying its educational ties with India. During a fireside chat with U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti and Indiana Senator Todd Young, plans for the new semiconductor center, combined degree programs, and alumni engagement were revealed.
Purdue President Mung Chiang shakes hands Friday with (left) Eric Garcetti, U.S. ambassador to India, and U.S. Sen. Todd Young following the announcements of the first-ever Purdue-India Center for Education and Engagement and the U.S.-India Center of Excellence in Semiconductors, both in India. The afternoon announcement also included plans for joint degree offerings and alumni engagement in India. (Purdue University photo/John Underwood)
This is the most recent development in Purdue’s fruitful 125-year partnership with India, which dates back to the school’s first Indian students.
During Young and Garcetti’s public forum and on-campus visit on Friday, November 1, President Mung Chiang unveiled plans for the Purdue-India centers.
In addition to establishing a new foundation to offer joint degrees in fields with high demand, such as artificial intelligence, data science, semiconductors, and business, the Purdue-India Center for Education and Engagement will establish Purdue’s footprint in India. In partnership with strategic partner colleges in India, the degrees will be made available.
Additionally, the center serves as a focal point for advancing the long-standing collaboration by providing a direct line of communication for business and government interactions, strategic alliances with Indian universities, alumni engagement, and student recruitment.
“Purdue is excited to grow our long-standing partnership with Indian institutions and companies across a broad range of disciplines,” Chiang said. “Both our new Center for Education and Engagement in Delhi and the new U.S.-India Center of Excellence in Semiconductors (CES), joint with IIT Hyderabad and supported by the governments of the U.S. and of India, are milestone steps toward the expansion of this strategic partnership, with many opportunities for our students and faculty and a continued elevation of Purdue’s global impact.”
The Purdue community is home to more than 300 academics, researchers, and staff of Indian descent, in addition to the university’s largest international student body of over 3,000 Indian students.
A Purdue delegation, Indian government representatives, leading academic institutions, and business executives met in three Indian cities in late September before Friday’s announcement. Collaboration in education, growing collaborative R&D projects, and investigating new prospects were the main topics of discussion.
“Purdue’s expanding connections provide the U.S. and India with the tools for ongoing global success,” Young said. “Forward-focused thinking like this can lay the foundation encouraging two-way trade and investment in the tech sector, particularly in high-impact areas like semiconductors and AI.”
In September, Garcetti hosted Purdue’s delegation in New Delhi. That week’s talks with Garcetti and other Indian government representatives centered on strengthening collaboration in research and education as well as how Purdue and India can work together to advance shared interests in creating and protecting vital technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and more.
“Purdue has strong support in India and has demonstrated its support for Indian industry and academia as well,” Garcetti said. “Establishing a presence like this in India empowers students in both nations and strengthens workforce and educational ties. I applaud Purdue’s leadership and the institutional partnerships which are contributing so much to the U.S.-India relationship.”
One example of this reciprocal assistance is Purdue University and India’s collaboration on the recently established U.S.-India Center for Excellence(CoE) in Semiconductors. Purdue will work closely with experts in the semiconductor sector to expand this bilateral CoE through initiatives to advance collaborative workforce development and research.
Utilizing significant connections across academia, government, and industry, the long-standing Purdue-India cooperation is contributing to the development of future technologies and education for years to come as part of Purdue’s three land-grant pillars of research, learning, and engagement.
The most recent announcement about Purdue University and India was made on Friday. In order to promote collaborative research and development, education, and talent development in this crucial area, Purdue University and the Indian government inked an agreement in May 2023 for Purdue to become the flagship academic partner on semiconductors.
Young and Garcetti visited the Birck Nanotechnology Center on Friday as part of their campus visit. This facility houses Purdue’s semiconductor and microelectronics research and houses the 25,000-square-foot Scifres Nanofabrication Laboratory cleanroom, one of the biggest university cleanrooms in the country.