India's first G-20 Studies research centre to come up at Jindal varsity

NEW DELHI: India’s first research centre on G-20 Studies will be set up at the O.P. Jindal Global University, based in Sonipat, Haryana, the university announced on Tuesday. The Jindal Global Centre for G-20 Studies will be the first research centre set up by any Indian university focusing exclusively on research, thought leadership, and capacity building initiatives relating to G-20. 

The university began its efforts to build this centre in the light of India assuming the presidency of G-20 from December 1, 2022. It will try to help India play a leadership role by promoting transformative ideas for making this institution more relevant and impactful.

JGU vice-chancellor C. Raj Kumar announced that Dr Mohan Kumar, a former Indian ambassador to France, will be the first director of this centre. A 36-year veteran of the Indian Foreign Service, he had also served earlier as India’s ambassador to Bahrain.

The Jindal Global Centre for G-20 Studies will have five major objectives: first, to develop a strong vision for enabling academic institutions across the G-20 region to build international collaborations between them; second, to launch new initiatives to promote G-20 studies and greater understanding of the G-20 countries in all dimensions across other Indian higher education institutions; third, to organise periodic lectures, seminars and conferences of topical relevance to India-G20 cooperation in partnership with other universities, think tanks and government officials; fourth, to build and strengthen capacities for pursuing research relating to G-20 countries within India with a strong focus on joint research between institutions in G-20; fifth: to develop multi-sectoral training and capacity building programmes in close partnership with higher education institutions in the G-20.