A traditional lamp lighting ceremony was held as part of the official opening of the Mumbai Enterprise Campus. Photographed (L-R): Uday Virmani, Chief Business Officer at the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, Professor Michelle Jones, Director and Executive Dean of the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, Alison Barrett MBE, Country Director India at British Council, and Ashwin Damera, Co-Founder and CEO of Eruditus and Emeritus (image: University of Bristol)

The University of Bristol has officially opened its first international campus in Mumbai – our fellow UNESCO City of Film – welcoming its inaugural cohort of students.

The opening of the Mumbai Enterprise campus on 10th September follows the signing of an official Memorandum of Understanding earlier this year between Bristol City Council and the University of Bristol, to cement the strategic partnership between Bristol’s UNESCO City of Film designation and the University’s Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences.

Although some 4,500 miles apart, the University’s Bristol and Mumbai campuses focus on equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed in fields that are advancing rapidly. Education will be supported by opportunities for global engagement, active engagement in research and innovation, internships, and relationships with industry.

The campus is located at the Cignus Powai development near Powai Lake – one of Mumbai’s leading innovation and technology hubs. Situated across from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the campus will benefit from a strategic partnership with this world-renowned partner, aligned with India’s National Education Policy focusing on translational research and innovative teaching.

Degrees being offered in Mumbai are based on those offered in Bristol, and courses include a Master of Arts (MA) Immersive Arts, designed to explore the frontier of storytelling and new ways of engaging audiences through emerging technologies, giving insight into how Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR) technologies are being applied across a wide range of sectors including gaming, entertainment and marketing, documentary, heritage and tourism, architecture, simulation and training.

Professor Evelyn Welch, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bristol, says: “Today marks a defining moment in the University of Bristol’s 150-year history and an important milestone in our relationship with Maharashtra. We are confident in India’s extraordinary talent, ambition and growing role in shaping the future of education, research and innovation.  Through our Mumbai Enterprise Campus, we aim to create new opportunities for research, innovation and knowledge exchange while providing students with a world-class Bristol education that is focused on the opportunities and challenges of the future.”  

Professor Michelle Jones, Director and Executive Dean of the Mumbai Enterprise Campus, added: “We are committed to India and to a more globally connected model of higher education in the country, and have received such a positive response from students and parents as we embark on our first year.  The activities that marked the opening of the campus, including industry dialogues, leadership conversations and experiential learning opportunities, are an early example of how we intend to connect academic excellence with industry, innovation and society. We look forward to building a vibrant community that strengthens collaboration between India and the UK while preparing students to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world.”