University of Birmingham India Institute

Studies show that globally, more die after surgery than from HIV, TB and malaria combined. Our leading surgeons have been awarded £7 million by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to establish a joint unit focused on driving surgical research in India and other low- and middle-income countries. By undertaking collaborative research and engaging the local and global surgical community, our researchers are solving the critical need for safe, affordable surgical care worldwide.

University of Birmingham researcher Dr Sophie Hadfield-Hill has been awarded major funding from the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Urban Transformations programme to to investigate India’s smart urban age. This collaborative project, ‘Learning from small cities’, studies the dynamic transformation of three Indian cities and will help experts to understand and predict the challenges of India's rapid move towards an urban future.

Global experts call for new approach to tackle air pollution

As the first UK university to establish a Sikh Studies programme, we’re strengthening our longstanding engagement with the local and global Sikh community to mark a significant year for the Sikh faith, which celebrates the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Led by our Sikh Studies expert Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE, we’re building partnerships with faith-based organisations to widen the impact of our research and to raise public understanding of the Sikh faith.

Our leading Professor of Water Technology, Professor Philip Davies, is collaborating with key partners in India to deliver an innovative project addressing critical water shortages in many rural parts of the country. 'India H2O' is developing new technologies to make it possible to reuse water that is too contaminated to drink untreated and is maximising the impact of research to benefit rural communities across India.

Our energy experts have launched a major research initiative, Clean Cold and the Global Goals, which investigates how clean cooling could help to achieve almost all of the United Nations’ Global Goals. Our researchers argue that the introducing clean cold to India’s food supply chain will develop infrastructure and double farmers’ incomes while reducing their impact on the environment. We’re strengthening UK-India industry partnerships by supporting the Indian state government’s drive to advance the use of clean cold technology and help meet rising demand for cooling sustainably.

Clean cold and global goals

With air pollution levels up to 30 times greater than in the UK at times, India’s capital city Delhi has been rated as one of the most polluted cities in the world by the World Health Organization (WHO). Leading researchers from the University of Birmingham are collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) to understand the causes, sources and effects of poor air quality in India and across the globe and tackle the associated health risks.

Global experts call for new approach to tackle air pollution

Cancer expert Professor Sudha Sundar is leading research into the factors causing the three most common cancers in women – breast, cervical and ovarian – in the Punjab region. Our researchers at the University of Birmingham are collaborating with centres of excellence in India to investigate how ethnic diversity has an impact on the prevalence of these cancers and to and to improve early detection.

Heterogeneity of germline variants in high risk breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes in India

We’re growing global intellectual networks through hosting Newton Bhabha PhD students from prestigious Indian institutions. By sharing our expertise and research excellence, we’re equipping the brightest and best minds to solve global challenges facing the UK and India.

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Led by our expert Dr Upen Patel, a team of dental students from the Birmingham School of Dentistry joined with Satya Samaj UK volunteers to set up an oral and dental health clinic in Rishikesh, India, for the second year running. We’re supporting these student volunteers as they provide free dental care to approximately 500 underprivileged patients, including almost 200 children, many of whom had no access to dental care.

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‘It was a memorable experience. It was great fun to experience a comfortable new culture, meeting new people who were very warm and friendly, understanding a different way of living. It was an awesome experience.’

Kanika Sehgal, Chitkara University, India

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We’re engaging with the Indian student community here on our Edgbaston campus. By supporting student society events and activities, we’re celebrating and showcasing Indian culture at the University of Birmingham. Bharat Parivar, which means ‘Indian Family’, is a student society created to celebrate and showcase Indian culture to the student community at the University of Birmingham.

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India Institute Annual Report 2022 (PDF Accessible)

India Institute Annual Report 2021 (PDF Accessible)

India Institute Annual Report 2020 (PDF)

India Institute Annual Report 2020 (Word Accessible)

India Institute Annual Report 2019 (PDF)