University of London, Northeastern University Set for Hyderabad Offshore Campuses

Telangana’s push to transform Hyderabad into an international knowledge hub has gained momentum, with several leading global universities showing interest in expanding their academic footprint in the state.

The development follows the ‘Telangana Rising’ delegation’s visit to the UK and the US from August 19 to 29, led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu. Officials said the University of London and Boston-based Northeastern University are set to establish offshore campuses in Hyderabad, strengthening the city’s education, research, skills and industry ecosystem.

Already a major centre for software, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and manufacturing, Hyderabad is also expanding rapidly in defence and aerospace. The state government now aims to bring leading institutions from the US, Europe and Asia to deepen links between higher education, research, skills and industry.

Responding on X, Revanth Reddy said the interest shown by global institutions reflected confidence in Telangana’s vision for a Global Knowledge Hub. He said Harvard University and its affiliated schools were also interested in offering selected courses and programmes in the state. Talks with the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, SOAS, Imperial College London, London Business School, London School of Economics (LSE) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were encouraging, he said.

Future collaborations could bring degree and certification programmes, joint research, Centres of Excellence and specialised professional courses to Hyderabad. LSE and SOAS have agreed to send delegations to study the possibility of offshore academic facilities, including industry partnerships, teaching methods, classroom interaction models and faculty engagement.

Harvard has also expressed interest in launching short-term executive education programmes for senior government and corporate officials at the MCR HRD Institute. Officials said discussions with Northeastern University and Virginia Tech could lead to further agreements soon.

The Global Knowledge Hub will initially operate from the MCR HRD Institute, with classrooms being upgraded to international standards, before expanding to the proposed Bharat Future City. Revanth Reddy said the initiative would support Telangana’s goal of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2034 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047.

Minister Sridhar Babu said the Skill University, Advanced Technology Centres and polytechnics would help create an industry-ready workforce. The Chief Minister has also ordered a dedicated education and sports infrastructure track at the Invest Telangana Global Summit from December 7 to 9.