Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Canada will give over 50 fellowships and funds worth more than $4 million to Indian graduate students and institutional partners as part of its steps to boost educational ties between the two countries.

Meeting their their Indian counterparts in New Delhi at a roundtable, 15 presidents of various Canadian universities, who are currently in India on a seven-day mission, announced up to 51 graduate fellowships worth $3.5 million for Indian students to pursue studies in Canada.

Announced under the new Globalink Canada-India Graduate Fellowship Programme, the fellowships will benefit undergraduate Indian students who went to Canada on summer internship this year under the MITACS Globalink programme.

The Globalink programme instituted by the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) - a Canadian research network - links industry and international students with Canadian universities.

One and hundred and five undergraduate students from India attended three-month research projects in computer sciences, engineering, mathematics and business at 14 Canadian universities this summer. “We all recognize the importance of a deeper engagement with India, for the individual Canadian universities that form this delegation, and also more broadly for the entire Canadian higher education sector,” said Stephen J. Toope, president of Vancouver-based University of British Columbia, in making the announcement on behalf of the delegation.

“The mission has been an effective catalyst, inspiring universities across Canada to create new awards for Indian students and form new partnerships with Indian universities and institutes.”

Canada’s top eight universities - McMaster University, Simon Fraser University, The University of British Columbia, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo and The University of Western Ontario - will provide funding for these fellowships.

Canadian science and technology minister Gary Goodyear, who attended the roundtable along with his Indian counterpart Kapil Sibal, said,”Canada is becoming a destination of choice for international research talent. We will continue to vigorously pursue the tremendous opportunities for scientists and businesses to conduct research and invest in innovation in Canada.”

Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) which has organized the mission to India, said, “These new investments are a concrete demonstration of Canadian universities’ commitment to partnering with Indian universities and supporting Indian students in the spirit of international education.”

Since Canada gets only about 3,000 Indian students among 90,000 foreign students who join Canadian institutions each year, it is trying to ramp up enrollment from India.