Business/Alive News: India has invited Singaporean universities to establish campuses in the country and sought Singapore’s expertise in developing proposed university townships based on the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) University Town model, Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Sunday.
The proposals were discussed during Joshi’s bilateral meeting with Singapore’s Education Minister Desmond Lee at Singapore Management University (SMU). The meeting followed the inauguration of the fourth Singapore-India Hackathon.
In a post on X, Joshi said both countries discussed expanding cooperation in school and higher education, skill development, research and innovation. He also invited more Singaporean universities to set up campuses in India and sought assistance in developing integrated university townships.
The initiative comes amid India’s efforts to attract foreign universities under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Under the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) 2023 regulations, eligible foreign universities can establish campuses in India, subject to regulatory approvals. As of August 2026, the UGC had issued 16 letters of intent to 15 foreign institutions from Australia, Italy, the UK and the US. However, no Singaporean university currently features on the list of foreign institutions operating campuses in India.
India’s university township initiative was announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, which proposed five integrated academic zones near major industrial and logistics corridors. These townships are expected to bring together universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential facilities.
NUS University Town, which India is looking to emulate, combines academic infrastructure, student accommodation and common spaces to promote learning and interaction.
The two ministers also discussed mutual recognition of qualifications, student and teacher exchanges, joint research and industry-academia partnerships. Cooperation in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, clean energy, fintech and advanced materials was also on the agenda.
Joshi proposed hosting the fifth India-Singapore Hackathon in India in 2027 and establishing a regular conference of higher education institutions from both countries.
