Germany to shift beyond student mobility; strengthen research, institutional collaboration in India

Germany’s academic exchange agency DAAD is shifting its India strategy from student mobility to long-term institutional partnerships and research collaboration, senior officials said, according to a report by The PIE News. The move comes as more than 60,000 Indian students study in Germany, making them the largest group of international students in the country.

Shift from student mobility to partnerships

“India has emerged as one of the most important and fastest-growing markets for DAAD in recent years,” Arthur Rapp, director of DAAD’s regional office in New Delhi, told The PIE News. He said the growth reflects not only rising student numbers but also changing aspirations, with Indian students now more focused on quality education and research opportunities.

DAAD, a joint body of German universities and student organisations, is now focusing on deeper institutional collaboration in India instead of only supporting student pathways. This shift is part of the Indo-German Comprehensive Roadmap on Higher Education, launched during German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to India, aimed at strengthening partnerships, exchanges and joint research.


“One of the major shifts is towards long-term cooperation, making Indo-German collaboration more strategic, inclusive, and impact-driven than ever before, alongside more structured partnerships between institutions rather than only supporting individual scholarships,” said Shikha Sinha, senior advisor for international cooperation and internationalisation at DAAD India.

She added, “Programs like SPARC-GIANT bring together Indian and German universities in joint research projects in priority areas such as sustainability, healthcare, industry 4.0, and semiconductors.”

Focus on balanced mobility and research links

DAAD officials said the organisation is also working to address gaps in student mobility and participation. While Indian student numbers in Germany continue to rise, the agency wants to see more German students choosing India.

“While Indo-German academic cooperation has grown significantly, there are still a few key challenges to address. One is ensuring balanced mobility – while more Indian students are going to Germany, we would like to see more German students choosing India as a study destination,” Sinha said, as quoted by The PIE News.

Officials also highlighted the need to expand collaboration beyond top-tier institutions and include more state universities and underrepresented regions across India.

“Whether it is environmental issues, food security or the energy transition, these are global challenges that cannot be solved by any one country, requiring collaboration between scientists worldwide, with Germany’s globally renowned research landscape complementing India’s scale, dynamism and innovation,” Rapp said.

No immediate push for campuses in India

DAAD said German universities are not prioritising opening campuses in India, citing differences in funding models and academic structures. Most German public universities do not charge tuition fees and are funded by the state.

“German universities are not driven by profit, and most do not charge tuition fees, so the priority remains on cooperation rather than setting up campuses,” Sinha said.

Rapp added that expanding abroad involves challenges such as adapting curricula and securing resources. “German universities operate on a different model, with most funding coming from the state, so there isn’t the same financial drive to expand abroad. Expanding into a new country also comes with challenges. You can’t simply take a German curriculum and place it elsewhere; it needs to be adapted,” he said, PIE News reported.

DAAD also noted that with Germany’s ageing population and demand for skilled workers, international students, especially Indians, remain important to its workforce. At the same time, officials stressed that global education mobility is evolving into a two-way process.

“When we talk about migration, it’s not a one-way street – people study, gain knowledge and experience, and then return or move across markets, and that’s how the system works,” Rapp said.