The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), which is part of the Union Ministry of Commerce, plans to open its first foreign campus in Dubai after receiving approval from numerous ministries and the University Grants Commission (UGC).
IIFT announced the move today, Friday, May 16, stating that it has secured clearances from the Ministries of Education, Home Affairs, External Affairs, and the UGC. The Dubai campus, which is still awaiting final approval from the UAE, aims to serve the Indian diaspora and international students while also strengthening India's academic footprint in the Gulf.
The development “truly reflects the spirit of the National Education Policy 2020, marking a new chapter in the internationalisation of Indian education and its growing role in shaping thought leadership globally,” Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal told Business Standard.
The Ministry of Education has underlined that no faculty, academic infrastructure, or financial resources will be diverted from IIFT's New Delhi campus to the Dubai centre, assuring that the domestic institution is unaffected.
IIFT, which was founded in 1963, offers professional education focusing on international business. It currently provides a variety of long-term programs, including an MBA (International Business) and a PhD in management, at its Delhi and Kolkata campuses.
IIFT’s expansion follows the 2023 opening of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras’ first offshore campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania — India’s first international IIT campus.
That initiative offered Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) programmes to students from Zanzibar, Tanzania, Nepal, and India. More such campuses are in the pipeline across the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the United Kingdom (UK).
