The University of Milan sets up its first interdepartmental Chair of Indian Studies

On 12 September 2024, the University of Milan, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up the first Chair of Indian Studies at our University, within the Department of Languages, Literatures, Cultures and Mediations and the Department of Literary Studies, Philology and Linguistics.             

The signatories of the MoU were the Ambassador of India in Italy H.E. Vani Rao, on behalf of the ICCR, and the Rector of the University of Milan Elio Franzini.

The ICCR, in consultation with the University of Milan, will appoint an Indian academic who, starting from mid-2025, will spend a year at our University as visiting professor, contributing to the academic life of our University by teaching Hindi and supporting related research.

Hindi, Sanskrit, Indian Art and other related subjects are already being taught to Bachelor's and Master's students of our University. However, the establishment of a Chair of Indian Studies at the University of Milan represents an important step towards enhancing academic knowledge and awareness about India.   

"The University of Milan was determined to set up a Chair of Indian Studies, and I am extremely proud of the outcome we have reached with this agreement. Openness towards other cultures is crucial to create a space for dialogue that can truly act as a driver of personal growth and development for everybody, but most of all for our students, so as to prepare them, through an excellent education, for a job market that transcends geographical borders," said Rector Elio Franzini.