The recent announcement by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, of the opening of a new Research Councils UK (RCUK) office in India is expected to assist in building new partnerships between the best researchers in the UK and India so that both countries can benefit.

Many successful relationships already exist between UK arts and humanities academics and the Indian research community. The new office should help in the strengthening of those existing relationships as well as enabling new collaborations to be set up.

The RCUK Office in India will be launched later this year and it will be located at the British High Commission in New Delhi.

Speaking on behalf of the AHRC, Chief Executive Professor Philip Esler said "India is a country rich in cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, with a long history and extraordinary artistic and architectural treasures. For many researchers in the UK arts and humanities community, the opening of the RCUK office will inaugurate an exciting era of collaboration with researchers and cultural institutions in India."

For further details on this launch go to the RCUK website. 

ENDS

Media enquiries to:

Emi Spinner, Communications Officer. Tel: 0117 987 6770 or e-mail: e.spinner@ahrc.ac.uk.

Editors Notes:

Arts and Humanities Research Council - Each year the AHRC provides approximately £90 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,500 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. Arts and humanities researchers constitute nearly a quarter of all research-active staff in the higher education sector. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK.