IIT-Delhi and Sorbonne University Announce Joint Programmes
Strengthening the growing India-France strategic partnership in higher education and research, IIT-Delhi and France's Sorbonne University have announced a major expansion of their collaboration with the launch of a joint post-graduate programme in Biological Science, along with a PhD programme.
Expanding Collaboration in Research and Education
The expanded partnership aims to deepen collaboration in research, education, innovation and academic mobility while creating new opportunities for students and researchers from both institutions. It builds on the success of the jointly established Franco-Indian Integrated Health Campus, which has already facilitated collaborative research projects, student internships, faculty exchanges and scientific workshops.
Delegation Visit and New Areas of Cooperation
A delegation from IIT-Delhi, led by Director Prof Rangan Banerjee, visited Sorbonne University this month to further strengthen institutional ties and explore new areas of cooperation. Discussions during the visit focused on expanding the collaboration beyond healthcare into cutting edge fields such as material science, artificial intelligence (AI), informatics, computer science, robotics and other interdisciplinary domains with significant societal and technological impact.
Quotes from IIT-Delhi Director
Speaking about the partnership with Sorbonne University, Prof Banerjee said, “We are delighted with our partnership with Sorbonne University in healthcare. We have started joint post-graduate and PhD programmes with two-way student mobility. As we expand into emerging areas such as AI, sustainable technologies, materials science and robotics, we envision creating a vibrant ecosystem that enables transformative research, talent development and societal impact.” The collaboration is closely aligned with the broader India-France strategic partnership, which identifies education, research, innovation, healthcare and digital technologies as key pillars of bilateral cooperation, he added.
Future Plans and Recognition
Going forward, IIT-Delhi and Sorbonne University plan to expand cooperation through greater sharing of research infrastructure, increased student and faculty exchanges, co-supervised doctoral research, joint degree programmes, international schools, workshops and collaborative projects addressing global challenges. The Franco-Indian Integrated Health Campus remains the cornerstone of the partnership, bringing together expertise from engineering, medicine, life sciences, social sciences and digital technologies to develop innovative solutions for contemporary healthcare challenges.
The significance of the collaboration has also received recognition at the highest level, with French President Emmanuel Macron recently highlighting the IIT-Delhi–Sorbonne University partnership during his address at Bharat Innovates 2026, describing it as a flagship initiative of scientific and educational cooperation between the two nations.
