New Delhi, February 15 – India and the UK share "common ambitions and goals" in the fields of education, culture, and the creative economy, and both countries are able to work together to promote inclusive growth and opportunities for young people, the British Council in New Delhi said.
In an exclusive interview with PTI ahead of the AI Impact Summit here, Alison Barrett, the British Council's India head, also said that over the past three years, the bilateral partnership has significantly strengthened across various sectors.
"We are the UK's cultural relations organization, and at the upcoming AI Summit, a pavilion will be set up, and we will focus on education and cultural aspects," she said.
Several world leaders, heads of major global tech companies, and delegations from various organizations working in the fields of technology, AI, and the creative economy are attending the mega event, which will take place from February 16-20.
During a recent interaction at the organization's New Delhi centre, Barrett, Country Director, British Council, also revealed that eight UK universities would be opening campuses in India, starting this year.
"The University of Southampton has already opened one in Gurgaon (in July 2025), and it's the first university to receive approval under the University Grants Commission guidelines," she said.
The other eight UK universities have also "received the approval letter."
"We have three UK universities opening in GIFT City in Gujarat, two in Bengaluru in Karnataka (University of Liverpool and University of Lancaster), and three in Mumbai (University of York, University of Aberdeen, and University of Bristol)," she told PTI.
According to the Council, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Bristol are likely to officially open their campuses by the summer of 2026.
The British Council, which has been present in India since 1948, has its current building in Delhi, designed by renowned Indian architect Charles Correa, and was inaugurated on October 28, 1992, by then Vice President K R Narayanan.
"The building showcases how Correa and Hodgkin's works represent the spirit of UK-India collaboration, by bringing art and architecture together," Barrett said.
She emphasized that education and culture are "critical sectors" and important pillars in the bilateral relationship, and that these sectors have seen "significant progress" over the past three years, driven by the National Education Policy allowing and enabling more UK institutions to collaborate with India.
She also highlighted that the India-UK Vision 2035 has given "a higher priority" to education, as it is one of the five flagship pillars in the Vision, enabling a more ambitious partnership and greater collaboration.
The Prime Ministers of India and the UK, during their meeting in July 2025 in London, endorsed the "India-UK Vision 2035," reaffirming their shared commitment to unlocking the full potential of a revitalized partnership.
"Therefore, we both share ambitions and goals, with world-leading systems, sectors, and expertise. We can learn from each other as we work together to promote inclusive growth and opportunities for young people," Barrett said.
The British Council's India head also emphasized the India-UK Programme of Cultural Cooperation (2025-2030), signed by the two countries in May 2025.
The British Council is designated as the "implementing organization," working with the UK's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
"We are the nodal agency that will activate this agreement, working in collaboration with both the culture ministries. This strengthens institutional partnerships and collaborations between museums and arts organizations, enabling more collaborations around capacity building and learning," Barrett said.
She emphasized that both countries are "quickly building opportunities" to accelerate growth and inclusive growth.
"As the British Council, our role is to strengthen people-to-people relationships, and we want to ensure that young people in the UK and India have the opportunity to learn from each other and build strong connections at a young age, so that they can understand the full diversity of India and everything that India has to offer," Barrett said.
