Purdue President Mung Chiang shakes hands Friday with (left) Eric Garcetti, the U.S. Ambassador to India, and U.S. Senator Todd Young following the announcement of the first-ever Purdue-India Center for Education and Engagement and the US-India Semiconductor Center of Excellence, both in India. The afternoon announcement also included plans for joint degree offerings and alumni engagement in India. (Photo by Purdue University/John Underwood)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is further strengthening its educational partnership with India with the announcement of its Center for Education and Engagement in the Country, as well as a Center of Excellence US-India semiconductor joint venture with the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad, with support from the US and Indian governments. Plans for joint degree offerings and alumni engagement, along with the new semiconductor center, were revealed in a fireside chat with Indiana Senator Todd Young and Eric Garcetti , United States Ambassador to India.

This is the latest chapter in Purdue’s successful 125-year relationship with India, dating back to its first Indian students.

President Mung Chiang revealed plans for the Purdue-India Centers Friday, Nov. 1, as part of a campus visit and public forum by Young and Garcetti.

The Purdue-India Center for Education and Engagement will give Purdue a presence in India, including a new foundation to offer joint degrees in high-demand fields including artificial intelligence, data science, semiconductors and business. The degrees will be offered in collaboration with strategic partner institutions in India.

The center also provides a central location to further foster the long-standing partnership, providing a direct gateway for government-industry relations, strategic partnerships with Indian universities, alumni engagement and recruitment of students.

“Purdue is excited to expand our long-standing partnership with Indian institutions and companies across a wide range of disciplines,” Chiang said. “Our new Center for Education and Engagement in Delhi and the new US-India Center of Excellence in Semiconductors, joint with IIT Hyderabad and supported by our Indian and US governments, are landmark steps towards expansion of this strategic partnership, with many opportunities. for our students and faculty and a continued elevation of Purdue’s global impact.

More than 3,000 Indian students study on Purdue’s campus – the university’s largest international student population – and the Purdue community includes more than 300 faculty, researchers and staff of Indian descent.

Friday’s announcement follows a series of meetings at the end of September in three Indian cities among a Purdue delegation, Indian government officials, leading academic institutions and industry leaders. Discussions focused on educational collaboration, expanding joint research and development initiatives, and exploring new opportunities.

“Purdue’s growing connections provide the United States and India with the tools necessary for their continued global success,” Young said. “Forward thinking like this can lay the foundation for two-way trade and investment in the technology sector, particularly in high-impact areas like semiconductors and AI. »

Garcetti received the Purdue delegation in New Delhi in September. Discussions with Garcetti and other Indian government officials that week focused on strengthening research and education cooperation and how Purdue can engage with India to advance the interests mutual in developing and safeguarding critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and much more.

“Purdue has strong support in India and has also demonstrated support for Indian industry and academia,” Garcetti said. “Establishing a presence like this in India empowers students in both countries and strengthens the connections between workforce and education.” I applaud Purdue’s leadership and the institutional partnerships that contribute so much to the U.S.-India relationship.

This mutual support includes the joint participation of Purdue and India in the new U.S.-India Semiconductor Center of Excellence. Purdue will actively collaborate with semiconductor industry leaders to develop this bilateral center of excellence with activities to promote joint research and workforce development.

As part of Purdue’s three land-grant pillars of research, learning and engagement, the long-standing Purdue-India partnership is helping shape future technology and education for years to come , using important connections between academia, government and industry.

Friday’s announcement is just the latest regarding Purdue and India. In May 2023, Purdue signed an agreement to become the Government of India’s flagship academic partner in semiconductors, thereby fostering joint research and development, education and talent development in this critical area.

As part of Friday’s campus tour, Young and Garcetti toured the Birck Nanotechnology Center, which houses Purdue semiconductor and microelectronics research and includes the 25,000-square-foot Scifres Nanofabrication Lab clean room, one of the largest university cleanrooms in the country.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence on a large scale. Ranked among the top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with unparalleled quality and scale. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue in all formats and locations, including nearly 50,000 in-person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. Learn how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap – including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative – at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.