Jean Monnet Project – Strengthening and Promoting EU Studies Across India (SAPHIRE), co-Funded by European Union
Education and culture are inseparable, as they are two sides of the same coin. If education refers to the holistic development of students with special emphasis on development of full creative potential, culture is ingrained much deeper and covers broader aspects of human behaviour. EU-India strategic partnership is being identified as one of the key focus areas in achieving this target. The world’s two largest democracies India and the European Union have a common interest in ensuring security, prosperity, and sustainable development in a multipolar world order. India and the European Union are coming together to encourage people-to-people ties in the field of education, research, science and technology, professional activities including in areas such as information technology, environment, climate change, healthcare, business, and tourism. It also highlights the positive aspects of cooperation in higher education, and relevance of cultural exchange to achieve a balanced mobility of researchers. In this context it is important that the visibility of European Union across India should be popularised through education, research, and cross-cultural activities. Increased cooperation will strengthen the educational institutions of India to meet the global standards of Indian universities.
Major objectives of the project are to promote excellence and innovation in teaching and research in higher education, increase institutional networking, dissect EU studies to micro level to identify the contribution of regional cultural elements in promoting EU studies across India.