The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad may set up a campus in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), becoming the first IIM to foray abroad following the example of at least three Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) that are currently in the process of setting up overseas campuses, it is learned.
The development is significant as it is the first time the central government is considering expanding one of India’s top business schools overseas. Government sources told that the Ministry of Education has already held at least one round of talks on the proposal.
Ministry sources said it was the UAE government that first approached the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi with the proposal.
“Subsequently, our people (Indian embassy officials) told us the proposal. During the discussions, IIM-A seemed to be the best fit for the move,” the source said.
In the UAE, IIT-Delhi could open its first overseas campus in September 2024. Meanwhile, IIT-Madras is setting up a campus in Tanzania and IIT-Kharagpur in Malaysia.
But a source from IIM-A confirmed the development. “Some IIMs have in the past tied up with companies abroad to offer general management programmes. But till now there were no plans for the IIMs to set up full-fledged campuses abroad
So far, two IIMs – IIM-A and IIM-Bangalore – offer general management programs for working professionals in Dubai. The courses are online and held on weekends.
In 2019, IIM-A established its first overseas branch—Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad Executive Education (IIMAEE)—in Dubai.
The development comes less than a year after a committee headed by IIT Council Standing Committee Chairman K. Radhakrishnan proposed guidelines to facilitate overseas expansion of IITs. The IIT Council is the governing body for all IITs.
Among several recommendations, the Radhakrishnan panel said the new institutes could be run under the brand name ‘Indian International Institute of Technology’.
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