Cambridge, London Varsity Eye Telangana After Revanth Meet

Hyderabad:The University of Cambridge and the University of London have evinced interest in collaborating with the Telangana government in academic programmes, research and incubation of entrepreneurship initiatives in Hyderabad, as the state government sought to position the city as a global knowledge and innovation hub.

The Telangana Rising delegation led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy held separate meetings with academic teams and officials of the two universities in London on Saturday. During his meeting with an academic team from the University of Cambridge, the Chief Minister, along with IT minister D. Sridhar Babu, CM's adviser K. Ramakrishna Rao and special chief secretary Jayesh Ranjan, presented the opportunities available for leading global institutions in Hyderabad and invited them to participate in building a top global knowledge hub in the city.

Prof. Jaideep Prabhu, Government of India-sponsored Chair of Marketing at Cambridge Judge Business School, and Prof. Venkata Serish Gandikota of Cambridge Judge Business School and co-chair of Frugal AI, expressed keen interest in partnering with Telangana. The discussions resulted in an agreement to work towards establishing a framework for collaboration covering education programmes in Hyderabad, research activities and incubation of entrepreneurship.

The Chief Minister also led the Telangana delegation to Senate House for a round-table meeting with the University of London. The university officials conveyed that the University of London was working on plans to establish a campus in Hyderabad, which would offer a wide range of educational courses and programmes from various schools and departments forming part of its academic federation.

The University of London delegation included representatives of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and other institutions. The University of London team comprised Kavitha Reddi, Ruth Kattumuri of LSE, Paul Madden, Prof. Funmi Olonifakin, Dr Sky Zheng and Keith Harrison.

The proposed collaboration with Cambridge and the University of London is part of the state government's efforts to attract globally reputed educational and research institutions to Hyderabad and expand opportunities in higher education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Earlier, Revanth Reddy and Sridhar Babu visited the Ambedkar House in London, the historic residence at 10 King Henry’s Road in Primrose, where Dr B.R. Ambedkar lived during 1921-22. The house is now a museum dedicated to Dr Ambedkar's ideals of constitutionalism, equality, a casteless society, freedom from oppression and the supremacy of social justice.

Describing the visit as a deeply significant experience, Revanth Reddy wrote in the visitor’s diary: “Visiting Dr Ambedkar House is like a pilgrimage. The inspiration is for a lifetime. I feel renewed dedication for social justice.” During the hour-long tour, Santosh Dass MBE, Chair of the Anti Caste Discrimination Alliance (ACDA), who played a key role in establishing the Ambedkar Museum, explained various aspects of Dr Ambedkar’s life and his years in the UK.

After completing the tour, Revanth Reddy described the visit as “one of life’s great moments,” saying it was an opportunity to see and touch a personal aspect of “one of the greatest Indians ever born.” The Chief Minister said the visit had renewed his commitment to the ideals of social justice associated with Dr Ambedkar. Revanth Reddy will return to Hyderabad on Sunday on the conclusion of the three-day visit to London.