The upcoming campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in Abu Dhabi will offer its first course in January 2024, union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Thursday.

Pradhan, who is on a three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced that the campus will offer a postgraduate programme in energy transition and sustainability as its first course.

“IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus will be an example of India-UAE friendship,” he said. He also visited the interim campus of the institute on Wednesday.

India and the UAE signed an agreement to set-up a campus of IIT-Delhi in Abu Dhabi during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Emirates’ capital in July. The campus is expected to offer other programmes from September 2024.

On Thursday, Pradhan met UAE’s foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, and discussed the deep-rooted and enduring relations between India and the UAE.

“The IIT Delhi-Abu Dhabi campus marks a significant stride in our efforts to internationalize India’s education. It will open up a plethora of opportunities for leveraging the power of knowledge for mutual prosperity and global well-being,” Pradhan said.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, during his meeting with the UAE minister Pradhan held productive discussions on further strengthening and carrying forward the two nations’ multi-faceted partnership.

The primary focus of the meeting was the enduring friendship ties that have long connected India and UAE, as well as the robust comprehensive strategic partnership that encompasses various sectors, including exploring opportunities for collaboration, with a particular emphasis on the realm of education, the statement added.

Pradhan also visited Hub71, oficially designated as a global tech startup ecosystem, calling it a vibrant community of innovators, entrepreneurs and investors working together to shape a sustainable and prosperous future. “The minister highlighted industry partners, corporates, investors, mentors as well as government regulators that provide all the necessary support to nurture the spirit of enterprise and help start-ups scale exponentially. Such symbiotic and enabling ecosystems with a whole-of-society approach are a key towards realising the full entrepreneurial and innovative potential of a country,” he said.