Students inclined towards studying social democracy, inclusivity, and climate change crises will choose France
EDHEC Business School continues its commitment to offer futuristic goals as it partners with Indian universities to introduce GIP
With a focus on increasing corporate relations, increasing academic collaborations with partners in India, fundraising, and research activities France’s EDHEC Business School will soon launch EDHEC India. Banking on the success of EDHEC America set up in 2020 in Berkeley, California which aimed at developing its educational activities, innovation entrepreneurship and collaboration with US universities, EDHEC India by 2025 end will be the new strategic hub focusing on building a stronger connection with Indian universities and alumni network. With around 900 Indian students, the French school that has campuses in Lille, Nice and Paris plans to increase the enrolment of engineering students in its MIM courses in AI.
In their recent India visit, Emmanuel Metais, director general/dean, EDHEC and Richard Perrin, associate dean, international relations, EDHEC Business School highlighted the need for proximity with the School’s alumni network to build stronger business and academic collaborations in India to increase the presence in Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Hosting 40 exchange students from India with 12 exchange partners including IIMs, MDI, SPIJMR and IMS, EDHEC has introduced a new programme called the Global Impact Projects (GIPs). GIPs offer the students enrolled in the Master in Management (MiM) or BBA programme an opportunity to validate their international experience by taking part in projects related to social welfare, volunteering for NGOs and working on sustainability-related projects. “These experiences, deliberately focused on social solidarity initiatives and designed to open minds, transform students’ vision of the world while also developing their emotional intelligence and resilience. The GIP certificate will earn credits (30 CTSE for BBA students) or validate the summer internship in the pre-master,” says Perrin.
“The aim is to make the students understand the requirements of society and save the resources. Besides the curriculum, we need to train better leaders who learn to cope with the world, understand climate change, and sustainability and have a better understanding of CSR. These projects are prompting students to handle projects such as access to water in villages or helping village kids with their learning. The business leaders will have to learn about battling the challenges related to the climate crisis, geopolitical issues, war and poverty while designing the policies,” says Metias.
As France plans to welcome 20,000 Indian students by 2025 and 30,000 by 2030, the India-France roadmap is set on the objective of bilateral cooperation, particularly in research and higher education. The universities in France have been supporting the students to stay back and find jobs after the completion of their courses, by making effective use of the APS visa that allows students to stay back for two years. Under the bilateral agreement signed by PM Narendra Modi in 2015, a two-year extension visa is offered to Indian students.
“India is the fastest growing economy dominated by a young population. There is an increase in business interaction between India and France, which has increased the demand for managers who understand the business culture of the European market. Indian students in EDHEC are taking up jobs and internships in Paris, Strasbourg and other business hubs,” says Metais. A special five-year circulation visa to France and the Schengen area is offered to PhD and master’s students which will support the research focus of Indian students. “This is an attraction point for Indian students as studying and working get relatively easier than the UK and US market,” adds Richard Perrin.
Currently, around 8000-10,000 Indian students are in French varsities, the number is relatively fewer as compared to 331,602 Indian students in US universities (Open Doors Report 2024). With the new Republican government planning to introduce a few restrictive rules for students, Europe is making a stronger appeal.
“The US market may notice a huge change as (President-elect) Donald Trump may change the rules. During the election campaigns, the Republicans openly spoke about offering limited support to CSR activities, diversity and inclusion. Trump government may turn off the budget for universities that would put too much emphasis on the climate crisis, social liberty and diversity,” says Metais. Compared to the US, the European varsities, particularly those in France have a stronger focus on courses in climate change and finance, ESG and social democracy and other humanistic problems, he adds.
The School has dedicated 40 million euros to set up the EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute which aims to study climate finance, and financial risks and explore the impact of finance on climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, adds Perrin.
