India is currently overshadowed by China as a force in the global knowledge economy – but it is the one country whose demographics and economic potential could make it a knowledge partner for the UK of equivalent importance, with far fewer political and diplomatic risks. 

A recent report by the Policy Institute, Harvard Kennedy School and partners, led by former Universities Minister Jo Johnson, argues that a comprehensive knowledge partnership should form the centrepiece of a post-Brexit free trade agreement with India. This would be in line with the UK’s “Global Britain” agenda and need to highlight the advantages of leaving the European Union. 

Join our panel to hear how the UK can deploy its knowledge assets – namely its universities and its research base – in a more strategic way with India, and how it can bolster its position in international education and reduce dependencies on China. 

Panel

• Rt Hon Jo Johnson, former Universities Minister, Visiting Professor at King’s College London, and Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School (chair)
• Professor Sir Steve Smith, UK Government International Education Champion, and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Exeter
• Janet Ilieva, Founder and Director of Education Insight 
• Jonathan Adams, Chief Scientist at the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate – Rt Hon The Lord Bilimoria, Crossbench Peer and Founding Chair of the UK India Business Council
• Rt Hon The Lord Bilimoria, Crossbench Peer and Founding Chair of the UK India Business Council 
• Professor Harsh V Pant, Director of Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi