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India and Canada have signed 13 university agreements to boost research and student mobility. McGill University will set up an AI education and research centre in India by 2027.
Canadian PM Mark Carney announces new India-Canada university partnerships and McGill’s planned AI centre in India. (Representational/File)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday said universities in Canada are widening their engagement with Indian institutions through new talent partnerships during his four day visit to India.
In a post on X, he said 13 new agreements have been signed covering joint research work and the setting up of artificial intelligence centres of excellence. According to Carney, the partnerships aim to give students international academic exposure and strengthen cooperation between institutions of both countries.
McGill University To Set Up AI Centre
Among the key announcements, McGill University confirmed plans to establish a centre of excellence in AI education and research in India. The announcement came during an academic mission led by Universities Canada and attended by Carney and Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
The centre is scheduled to start in May 2027 and will admit its first batch of students in the fall of that year. Around 50 students are expected in the first intake, with capacity likely to expand to about 200 over time. The programme will be a master’s course combining classroom learning with industry-linked projects in the AI sector.
McGill said its Faculty of Engineering will design the curriculum, set academic standards and oversee quality and research priorities, while the Indian partner institution will handle local coordination and stakeholder engagement.
The project is being developed in collaboration with the Jubilant Bhartia Group, which will provide land, infrastructure and operational support, and help connect the centre with companies in India’s technology and AI sectors.
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Carney arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening after engagements in Mumbai. He is on an official visit to India from February 27 to March 2 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry and Electronics and IT Jitin Prasada.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anand ahead of delegation-level talks between the two Prime Ministers. Formal discussions are scheduled on March 2 at Hyderabad House, where both leaders are expected to review progress under the India-Canada Strategic Partnership.
According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the talks will cover trade and investment, energy cooperation, critical minerals, agriculture, education and research collaboration and people-to-people ties. The two sides are also expected to exchange views on regional and global developments.
Carney’s visit follows earlier meetings between the two leaders in Kananaskis in June 2025 and Johannesburg in November 2025. Apart from official talks, Modi and Carney are also scheduled to participate in the India-Canada CEOs forum.
March 02, 2026, 14:10 IST
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