10 October 2025

This represents the latest milestone in Global Wales’ ongoing efforts to support partnership between Karnataka and Welsh higher and further education institutions. The success of these collaborative initiatives has been greatly enhanced by the warm engagement and strong partnerships with state and education stakeholders in the region. 

The fund will enable institutions in Wales to begin the development of sustainable, long-term relationships with Karnataka institutions, strengthening academic ties, supporting joint research, and facilitating knowledge exchange across borders. 

Global Wales will establish an innovation fund of £36,000 to support Wales–Karnataka partnership projects, with each of the eight participating universities in Karnataka contributing a match fund of £4,500, bringing the total collaborative investment to £72,000. 

Welsh institutions can bid for funding of £4,500 per project, which can be used in a variety of ways including research scoping, supporting capacity building/training, transnational education, and workshop delivery. Areas of priority include: digital transformation; net zero, green energy and decarbonisation; agri-tech and rural economy; creative industries and media; population health and biotechnology; and materials and manufacturing (including semiconductors).

This funding announcement follows a recent British Council-led delegation of university leaders from Karnataka, with the Vice Chair of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council, to Wales for a three-day visit, to connect with Welsh universities and explore new opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and global partnerships. 

The visit included a Wales-India roundtable focusing on higher education priorities for both nations, attended by British Council Wales, Welsh Government, Medr, Universities Wales and Welsh university representatives. The delegation visited a number of Welsh institutions, marking another step forward in strengthening the ties between the two countries’ higher education sectors.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle MS said:

"I'm delighted to see this new funding supporting the partnership between Welsh and Karnataka universities. These collaborations will create real opportunities for our students and researchers to work together on the challenges that matter most to both our nations. It's wonderful to see how these relationships continue to grow and benefit everyone involved."

Dr MC Sudhakar, Honourable Minister for Higher Education, Govt. of Karnataka said:

"We welcome this collaboration with the Global Wales programme, which will enhance the capacity of Karnataka’s universities and enable our students and academics to engage globally. The in-principle agreement to fund eight partnerships is aimed towards strengthening ties between the education institutions of Wales and Karnataka. We have a long-standing relationship with the British Council, and we are confident that together we will help our institutions strengthen academic and research linkages, contributing to Karnataka’s growth as a hub for quality higher education."

Dr Ben Calvert, Chair of Global Wales, said: 

“It’s fantastic to see Global Wales engagement with Karnataka state continue to flourish after years of partnership and collaboration. Creating this fund to support further collaboration between universities in Wales and Karnataka will encourage resilient, long-lasting relationships between institutions, developing research partnerships that will mutually benefit both Wales and Karnataka.”

Janaka Pushpanathan, Director British Council, South India, said:

"The partnership between the Global Wales and institutions in Karnataka marks an important step in strengthening higher education collaboration between India and the UK. Through these eight new partnerships, we are fostering knowledge exchange, joint research, and internationalisation that will benefit students, academics, and communities in both regions. The British Council is delighted to support this partnership and Karnataka’s vision for global engagement in higher education."

For more information contact Tom Woodward