Our flagship scholarship is VV Giri Scholarship, named after fourth President of India: Dean, University College Dublin

Professor Simpson shares various initiatives and support systems offered by UCD to empower and facilitate Indian students in their educational journey.

Professor Jeremy Simpson, Dean of Sciences at University College Dublin

Professor Jeremy Simpson, in a one-on-one interaction with Shiksha.com, delves into the evolving dynamics and opportunities in the relationship between India and Ireland, and how educational collaborations contribute to this synergy. He also shares various initiatives and support systems offered by UCD to empower and facilitate Indian students in their educational journey. Additionally, he discusses potential avenues for academic collaboration between institutions in India and UCD, aiming to foster knowledge exchange and research partnerships.

Q: How do you look at the 10-year journey of UCD in India?

Prof Simpson: So I'm going to say I probably have a unique perspective. So I'm actually travelling to India now for 12 years. So, I was here right at the start when Ireland was really not known in the country as education destination. UCD was certainly not known, and obviously this is exciting because we're celebrating 10 years.

So I think the visibility of Ireland, the visibility of UCD has changed completely. I think Ireland has now become, UCD has now become a number 1 choice for students. I think 10 years ago it was not, it might have featured as number 5 or number 6 on a student interest.

Q: So what is the reason for that?

Prof Simpson: There are multiple reasons. So obviously the global centre here is really important. So by having a physical presence here, by having staff here, it means that students can get a much better service. You know, they have a local contact that can guide them through their journey. So that's one important aspect.

I think the second important aspect is, I think students when then come to us have a very strong student experience. And it's multi-layered, it's not only the academic programme, but it's also the facilities that we have on campus. And it's the support in terms of career development.

And then of course what that leads to is our graduate outcomes are really fantastic at the moment. So a student comes, they graduate, they get a job. They really see that Ireland and UCD has provided the opportunity to get a foot on the ladder and to develop their career.

Q: How many Indian students are there at your campus right now?

Prof Simpson: UCD has around 1,500 Indian students sitting with us. Now, just again put it into context, that's out of a population of about 9,000 international students. Which is in the bigger context, 38,000 students in total in UCD.

Q: Which courses students are opting for more from India?

Prof Simpson: The most popular are College of Business, and then in my own college, the College of Science.And in my own college, of course, that encompasses disciplines such as computer science, AI, data science, biotech, biopharma. So it probably makes some sense that we have a good strength of Indian numbers, because those are areas that are traditionally favoured by Indian students. AI, data science are new areas.

Q: How is the industry looking for graduates who are coming out of these courses? And how is UCD coming up with new programmes, new trainings for students who are coming for these courses?

Prof Simpson: I think one of the things where we have a real strength is how we innovate in the courses. And I would say, and how do we do that, well, we do that because so many of our programmes are developed in partnership with industry.

The biotech industry needs graduates who are also competent in handling large data. So if we now look into some of our bio programmes, you will see there are subjects and modules in data handling, data skills, basic programming skills. So that innovation in a programme is great for the student.

It makes the student think in a more cross-disciplinary way. But it means they're also much better ready and prepared for what they're going to face beyond the degree.

Q: So how are jobs availability in Irish market? If a student is coming out of these courses, how is the job scenario?

Prof Simpson: So at the moment, I am going to say this is a golden time. Probably never been a better time. So Ireland, through its history, currently has pretty much the lowest unemployment rate it's ever had. It's below 5% unemployment.

So it means effectively there are jobs for anybody pretty much who wants a job. So what I think that says is we're in a real sweet spot. We're delivering strong academic programmes. But academic programmes that are really well matched to the job opportunities that are out there.

Q: Can you talk about some of the scholarships or financial assistance schemes which UCD has for Indian students?

Prof Simpson: Our scholarships are always tailored around academic excellence. We want to reward students who are academically strong, who we think have huge potential beyond their degree. So actually, our scholarships range in value, everything from 15% through to 100% full scholarships.

Our flagship scholarships are branded as the VV Giri Scholarships, named after the fourth president of India who studied law in UCD many years ago. And we have permission from the Giri family to use the name. And that particular set of VV Giri Scholarships are really our top tier scholarships rewarding the strongest students.

But again, they're not limited to any one subject area. And that's the beautiful thing, I think, about the scheme, that it doesn't matter whether the student is interested in a STEM program or a business program or a social sciences program, they can avail of that scholarship.

Q: Can you tell more about this VV Giri Scholarship?

Prof Simpson: So that is a competitive process. The student will apply to the university, they will be made an offer, and then the student is invited to apply for the VV Giri Scholarship. And they have to write a short motivational piece around how they would not only bring academic excellence to the university, but actually how they would work alongside the university in really cementing the ties between where they've come from and how they will help the profile of the university grow. And then all of that information is taken to a very large, very senior university panel, who then will rank the students and they will make their decision according to that.

So another thing, coming back to Ireland. Ireland has picked up, I mean, in the past 10 years, Irish universities, Irish institutions have picked up. What is the reason? Is it because UK has somewhere gone down in terms of providing jobs, providing quality education, quality life, and also safety is a very important factor for students.

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