About Ryerson

October 7, 2011

Report on President’s mission to India

President Sheldon Levy visited India this past summer to further existing relationships between Ryerson and Indian universities and build new ones. During his visit, he spoke at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and announced a fellowship at Ryerson's DMZ for six students from India. Here is a report from the president on his mission to India.

Introduction
This summer, I led a Ryerson mission to India with the intention of supporting existing academic collaboration, and exploring the potential for new partnerships. As shown in the itinerary below, the mission was hosted by major postsecondary institutions and leading organizations in India, and also provided the opportunity for us to connect in a very positive way with our Canadian representatives abroad.

This report offers a summary of our activities in India. The mission was very successful in building opportunities for working together, and gave us a clear indication that Ryerson is on a par with leading institutions in India as an innovator in developing the academic programs and research that will advance shared priorities.

Purpose
Ryerson has a strong record of academic connections with India primarily in terms of research collaboration. This year, further momentum was given to Ryerson-India activities through joint initiatives associated with our new Centre for Urban Energy. At the same time, we have piqued international interest in the Digital Media Zone and support for youth-driven innovation and entrepreneurship. Overall, the goal of the mission was to bring a personal presence to our current projects and relationships, to invite discussion of further possibilities, and to advance the perception of Ryerson as a partner uniquely positioned to bring programs and research to bear on economic and social realities.

Discussions and Opportunities
Anna University, Chennai
The significant development at Anna University was signing an Agreement formally establishing a partnership to develop a joint centre for research and collaboration in urban energy. This achievement owes a great deal to the leadership of Dr. Bala Venkatesh, formerly a professor at Anna University and now Academic Director, Ryerson University Centre for Urban Energy, along with Ryerson colleagues and students involved in research on this critically important global issue. There is also strong interest at Anna University in collaborating in other areas, including medical physics and sustainable water resources as just two examples, and partnership with Ryerson is highly regarded. Plans and discussions will continue on working to identify shared research projects and joint funding applications.

Indian Institute of Technology–Madras (IIT-M)
Our university is already well-known at IIT-M through the leadership of Dr. Ravi Ravindran, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and Ryerson graduate students who are undertaking collaborative research in materials science and engineering with colleagues in India. Interest is high in expanding academic relationships with Ryerson, in other engineering disciplines, information technology management, and the Digital Media Zone. At IIT-M we began to understand the strength of a niche opportunity for the development of an international DMZ strategy in India. The excitement over this new “Zone” model of entrepreneurial education was a key feature of our discussions on possible future collaboration and development.

Management Development Institute (MDI)
MDI is ranked among the top 5 business schools in India, and Ryerson received a warm welcome on a number of fronts. There is interest in a joint MBA degree, and international student exchanges. The discussion also raised the potential for partnerships in Continuing Education, an area where The Chang School offers strong leadership.

Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)
FICCI is the umbrella business organization bringing together leaders and initiatives in 39 sectors of the Indian economy. At our meeting, FICCI invited Ryerson to deliver presentations at conferences serving two of these sectors: the Higher Education Summit, scheduled for New Delhi on November 11-12, 2011; and FICCI Frames, the major conference of the Entertainment Division on March 1, 2012.  In the context of these invitations, it was clear from our discussions that FICCI sees Ryerson as providing important leadership. We have also been asked to work with the Entertainment Division to help build capacity in the training programs at institutes owned by media companies. In addition, FICCI colleagues asked about the possibility of collaboration in the Health Services sector, indicating that an expansion of partnership opportunities is very much on the agenda. We will be following up when we return to India for the FICCI Higher Education Summit in November.

Indian Institute of Technology–Delhi (IIT-D)
It was a privilege to be invited by IIT-D to deliver a lecture on campus as part of the Ryerson mission. My talk, entitled "Innovation and YOU! A Canadian Perspective: How Ryerson University is creating talent, entrepreneurship and research for Canada's innovation strategy, and opportunities for partnerships with India,” was well-attended by students, faculty, and invited guests from other institutions. It was also the occasion for the announcement of the Ryerson DMZ Fellowships, providing the opportunity for students from India to explore the potential for turning their ideas into businesses with a four-month stay in the Digital Media Zone. The announcement received extensive coverage in the media in India (also covered by Ryerson Today at http://www.ryerson.ca/news/media/General_Public/20110805_DMZfellowsh.html).

Conclusion
In general, the Ryerson mission to India was very successful. We advanced our collaboration on urban energy with the Anna University Agreement, had the opportunity to visit current partners, and met wonderful new colleagues. We raised the perception of Ryerson among India’s major academic institutions, and made important strategic connections with FICCI and our Canadian representatives in the Indian cities we visited.

Sheldon Levy
President