India’s first Jean Monnet CoE opened at MAHE

India’s first Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, established by the European Union, was inaugurated by Ambassador of European Union (EU) to India and Bhutan Tomasz Kozlowski at the Department of European Studies (DES) in Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) on Saturday.

“It is an emotional moment as I inaugurate the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. It is something special, a very prestigious award, but at the same time a confirmation of what the Department of European Studies has achieved so far. This Centre is a commitment and I am convinced Manipal will continue to make progress. Manipal and this department is an excellent example in developing contacts, partnerships and relationships with different European Studies," Kozlowski said.

The award comes with a grant of Euro 1,00,000 and is given to those pursuing India-EU interdisciplinary studies in culture, literature, education and society.This is the fifth time that MAHE has been awarded grants under the Erasmus Jean Monnet initiative. Previous grants had been used for the chair, modules and projects.

MAHE Pro Chancellor Dr H S Ballal said, ''Our continued success in being awarded competitive CBHE grants is testimony to MAHE’s research focus and capability. The Ambassador’s presence in Manipal reaffirms our belief that we are at the forefront of providing an international outlook to our students."

Under the present award, the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in India-EU Interdisciplinary Studies aims to strengthen and enhance the educational connect between India and EU. The CoE will host open-to-public workshops on European literature, winter schools for students around the world, and an India-EU Higher Education Meet.

Students at MAHE will also benefit from open electives covering topics such as ‘Watching Europe – Understanding European Culture and Society through Cinema’ and ‘Ethics and Epics – Understanding Philosophies of Life in India and Europe’.

At the end of the project, the CoE also plans to release a book on ‘Understanding India-EU Intercultural Dynamics,’ he added.

Dr Neeta Inamdar, Head Department of European Studies, made a presentation of the department.