In January 2025, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Peter Mathieson led a visit to Indian partners, including Gujarat Biotechnology University (GBU), India, to attend its Biothon 2025 event. The University's partnership with GBU is a key UK-India higher education collaboration.
The Principal's visit to India shines a light on the significance of our longstanding collaborations in the region.
Left to Right – Moumita Bhattacharya, David Leach, Sandip Shah, Peter Mathieson, Christina Mathieson, Athulya Aravind, Stephen Hickling
The visit was Professor Mathieson’s first to Gujarat since GBU, India’s first dedicated biotechnology university, launched in 2022. The visit marked a milestone in this significant partnership.
Edinburgh and GBU have been collaborating as part of a ten-year agreement which pre-dates GBU’s launch. The University played a significant role in establishing GBU, working closely with the Department of Science and Technology, State Government of Gujarat. Led by the School of Biological Sciences, the University continues contributing its experience and expertise to deliver GBU’s ongoing academic strategy. The curricula of GBU’s five MSc programmes were developed by the University of Edinburgh and differ from what is currently offered elsewhere in India.
The partnership also seeks to foster research excellence, drawing on Edinburgh’s biotechnology and life sciences expertise.
A thriving industry with rich potential for further collaboration
During the visit, Professor Mathieson met with current MSc students and faculty, toured the teaching and laboratory facilities and attended a roundtable discussion with industry leaders. There he emphasised the importance of research in creating jobs and driving economic growth and the potential of Gujarat’s thriving biotech industry as a significant partner for Edinburgh. Professor Mathieson, along with key dignitaries, presented awards at the Biothon event and underscored the importance of academia-industry partnerships like Edinburgh’s link with GBU in addressing the biggest challenges across society and industry.
He awarded the 'Best Societal Impact Award' to a pioneering T-cell-based dengue vaccine project (PRAHR) which aims to combat dengue without triggering harmful immune responses, and has potential applications in cancer treatment.
Research creates jobs and drives economic growth. Collaborating with GBU and Gujarat’s thriving biotech industry is a fantastic opportunity for Edinburgh
He also praised the state’s support for industrial partnerships and highlighted the scale and potential of Gujarat’s biotech ecosystem.
The Gujarat government has provided the funding, the land, and suggested industrial partnerships. The industry in Gujarat is very attractive to us because of the scale and massive development. The population of Ahmedabad alone is higher than the whole of Scotland. Linking with GBU and industries here is a very important opportunity for us.
The partnership between GBU and the University of Edinburgh aims to position Gujarat as a leader in biotechnology and life sciences.
Discussions during the visit also explored the establishment of centres of excellence for Bio-AI and biofoundry research through Indo-UK collaboration.
Strengthening teaching and research ties
Professor Mathieson also visited Ahmedabad University and the newly launched International Fintech Institute at GIFT City to strengthen the University’s ongoing teaching and research collaborations, especially in the fintech and AI disciplines.
During the visit the Professor Mathieson participated in the 'Creating Equitable Educational Partnerships Amid Global Uncertainties', dialogue at the QS India Summit 2025, which assembled thought leaders from India and globally to address the critical challenges Hgher Education sector is facing around the globe.
The Principal’s visit underlined the deepening relationships and significance of the University’s partnerships in India, which focus on driving innovative research forward.
In the past 15 years, the University of Edinburgh has forged a deep and lasting connection with India, cultivating partnerships that foster innovation, research excellence, and cross-cultural understanding. Presently as India’s higher education sector is rapidly transforming and becoming more enabling to internationalisation, we remain committed to nurturing talented individuals, sharing our expertise and learning from India and addressing global challenges together with our Indian partners.
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