By McGill Reporter Staff
At the most recent gathering of McGill’s Senate on Jan. 20, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum informed those in attendance that she and two other McGill representatives would be joining Premier Jean Charest as part of a delegation of 130 representatives of the worlds of business, education and research who are interested in building or consolidating ties with Indian partners. The team will travel to Mumbai, Bangalore, and Dehli from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.
Noting an 80-per-cent growth in Quebec exports to India since 2006, Charest says the mission will be an opportunity to increase partnerships and trade, and will focus on industries and research sectors such as aerospace, the environment, information and communication technology, infrastructure and biotechnology.
Calling the university’s participation an “expression of our new institutional approach to international activity and opportunity,” the Principal emphasized the importance of such global outreach for McGill.
Munroe-Blum will deliver a speech and participate in an education panel in Bangalore, and on Feb. 6 will address a high-profile Sustainable Development Summit in Dehli along with the likes of Bill Clinton, Sir Paul McCartney, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as well as Charest.
India has increasingly been the focus of potential research and teaching partnerships for McGill. As the Principal wrote in her 2007 Report, “Both Ottawa and Quebec City have been devoting considerable attention to scientific and industrial
co-operation with India. Early in that process, we identified an opportunity for ourselves.” There are currently more than 250 students from India (who are not permanent residents of Canada) enrolled at McGill, which also has more than 30 faculty members of Indian origin.