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‘Collaborations with Columbia University will further strengthen India’s capacity in AI, Robotics:’ Pradhan

The institution is a New York-based private University which is planning collaborations with its Indian counterparts, particularly in AI, semiconductors and large language models (LLMs)

2 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Jan 14, 2026 09:31 AM IST

Edu Min meets leadership from Columbia University to discusses collaboration plans

Pradhan, in a post on X, said that Dean of Columbia Engineering, Prof. Shih-Fu Chang, along with the academic leadership of the university, called on him.

The Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, met senior academicians from the US’s Columbia University to discuss plans for collaboration. The institution is a New York-based private University which is planning collaborations with its Indian counterparts, particularly in AI, semiconductors and large language models (LLMs)

Pradhan, in a post on X, said that Dean of Columbia Engineering, Prof. Shih-Fu Chang, along with the academic leadership of the university, called on him.

Dean of Columbia Engineering, Prof. Shih-Fu Chang called along with the academic leadership of Columbia University (@Columbia) called on me today.

They discussed their plans for collaborations with Indian academia and industry, particularly in AI, Semiconductors and Large… pic.twitter.com/jLPQw4mVx0

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) January 12, 2026

Appreciating their keenness to establish a Columbia-India Centre for AI in Manufacturing, Pradhan said, “Mutually beneficial collaborations with a global top-40 ranked university like Columbia University will further strengthen India’s capacity in AI, Robotics, MedTech, Manufacturing and Engineering.

Meanwhile, the Indian government is working on a new scheme to attract Indian-origin “star faculty” and researchers settled abroad to return and work in Indian institutions. The discussions have gained momentum amid concerns over the Trump administration’s policies towards higher education in the United States, seen by critics as challenging university autonomy and academic freedom.

The Principal Scientific Adviser’s office has also convened meetings with the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to shape the contours of the initiative, The Indian Express has learnt. The proposed scheme aims to bring back “established” Indian-origin scientists and researchers with significant academic work to their credit, who are willing to spend a defined period in India to pursue research.

The plan, according to officials, is to strengthen the country’s research and development ecosystem by offering these scholars positions in premier institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology, top research laboratories, and autonomous bodies under the DST and DBT. To give researchers financial autonomy and operational flexibility, a substantial “set-up grant” may be allowed to enable them to establish laboratories and teams in India. The IITs are on board with the proposal, and several of their directors have participated in discussions with the government on the implementation framework.