Alastair Sim, Director of Universities Scotland:
“What a privilege to be in Mumbai to showcase the best of Scottish universities and build new partnerships between Scotland and India.
“I’m out here with university leaders and the Deputy First Minister. The most exciting thing for me is how everything we’ve showcased has been about partnerships to build a better world.
“We started off launching the new Social Enterprise Academy, enabling Scottish and Indian social enterprises to increase their skills to run businesses that help society and individuals. Then, we held the most amazing fashion show in a floodlit Victorian textile mill, with young women from Scotland and India celebrating the shared heritage of the Paisley pattern. This was a joint venture between Scottish and Indian colleges and universities. The most moving and heroic stories were from women whose lives had been scarred by acid attacks who had now developed new skills and transformed their confidence through careers in the fashion industry. We’ve also heard great stories about how two of our universities have given HIV positive refugees voice and hope.
“Today, we’re looking forward to meeting some of our brilliant Indian alumni; a network of talent and achievement that gives us real impact in one of the world’s most exciting countries. We’ll also be exploring new research and teaching partnerships with Indian universities, and looking to welcome more of India’s abundant talent to learn in Scotland.
“All of this is based on the distinctive strength and diversity of Scotland’s universities – and of the relationships we can build with our brilliant and creative Indian partners.”