Beginning in 2014, the exchange expanded and now includes the exchange of teachers and students, with support from the Linnaeus-Palme Fund through the Swedish Council for Higher Education. The collaboration began with a research project between two professors: Skövde’s Abul Mandal and DPU’s Neelu Nawani.

• Dr. D.Y. Patil Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute at DPU (external link)

Globalization in Skövde

The School of Bioscience offers many courses of study in English at the bachelor’s and master’s level. The University of Skövde recognizes globalization as an important part of equitable and sustainable development. Internationalization of higher education and research plays a key role in the university’s development plan.

A fruitful exchange

DPU’s own vision is to develop in all academic areas so that DPU is well-known both in India and abroad. DPU focuses on knowledge and abilities in biotechnology and bioinformatics with the goal of holding the education to a global standard. This is achieved in part through international exchange programs for teachers and students. The university believes these exchange programs to be important for both professional and personal development.

Relevant and complementary

Skövde and DPU complement each other well, offering similar education programs and courses. The School of Bioscience at University of Skövde and the Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Institute at DPU offer high quality studies at the bachelor’s and master’s level, particularly in the areas of bioinformatics and molecular biology. The number of teachers and students in the two institutions is comparable. A large proportion of the instructors have PhDs.
This kinship forms the basis for the teacher and student exchanges, making them relevant, meaningful and practical to carry out. DPU’s laboratories have been significantly improved in recent years so that both universities have well-equipped modern labs for course laboratory sessions, project work and research.

Project time

The Skövde-DPU exchange is ongoing, open to bachelor’s and master’s students alike. Contact the international coordinator for more information about the exchange program, course packages offered, selection of participants and dates for application. Currently on offer is a 20-week course packet and bachelor’s degree project.

Financial partners

The Linnaeus-Palme Partnership is a Swedish exchange program begun in 2000 for teachers and students in undergraduate and master’s-level education with the goal of strengthening cooperation between Swedish institutions for higher education and those in the developing world and thereby increasing contacts in the academic world. The program is administered by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (Universitets- och högskolerådet) and funded by the Sweden International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA).

The partnership comprises two parts:

• The Linnaeus part of the exchange pays for outbound Swedish participants. It was Carl von Linné’s habit to send his apprentices into the world to gather information. That tradition proudly continues.
• The Palme part of the exchange covers the costs for international participants. Olof Palme was deeply engaged with development work internationally. The underlying idea is that mutual cooperation between institutions of higher education enriches all countries that participate, laying the foundations for new partnerships.

Read more about the programme at utbytet.se