Nordic Centre in India
The Nordic Centre in India (NCI) is a consortium of leading universities and research institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. It was established in 2001 with the objective to facilitate cooperation in research and higher education between the Nordic countries and India. Through academic exchange NCI seeks to strengthen Indo-Nordic ties and understanding. History. The possibility to establish a Nordic centre in India was discussed already in 1995 during a meeting of the Nordic Association of South Asian Studies (NASA), an organization established in 1990 to promote exchanges between researchers and students in  South Asia Studies. As a result of this and following discussions, the Nordic Centre in India (NCI) was founded in April 2001 at the inaugural General Assembly in Copenhagen as a consortium of leading universities and research institutions in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. The main objective of the consortium, which initially consisted of eight member universities and research institutions in the Nordic countries, was to strengthen and enhance Indian and South Asian studies in the Nordic countries and to support activities in India and with Indian counterparts. The first years of NCI were devoted to the recruitment of  new members of the consortium, to setting up the offices in India and in the Nordic region, identifying collaboration partners in India and tailoring shorter training programs and summer courses in India for students from the member universities. In 2004, NCI was approved by the Indian government and could set up a liaison office in India. A formal decision on the approval was taken by the Minister for Human Resources Development and publicly announced during an official visit to India by the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister in October 2004. Organisation. The organizational structure of the Nordic Centre in India consists  of the General Assembly, the Board, and the Director. The General Assembly includes representatives from all the Nordic member universities and handles all matters of principle and of strategic importance for the NCI. The Board consists of one elected chairperson and five members and their deputies from each Nordic country (including a Baltic observer) and ensures that NCI operates in accordance with its aims and regulations. The Director is appointed for a fixed period of time and is responsible for the daily activities. The Nordic secretariat and office of NCI circulates between the member universities and is currently located at  Tampere University, Finland, and the present Chairperson is Professor Mikko Ruohonen. Nordic Offices: Activities. To encourage academic and research exchange between the Nordic countries and India, NCI organises a wide range of research and study activities in India and in the Nordic countries, such as meetings and events to promote Indian research in the Nordic countries and Nordic research in India, lectures by Nordic scholars in India and Indian scholars in the Nordic countries, as well as workshops and seminars on various themes related to studies and research on India and South Asia. To students, researchers, and representatives of the  Nordic member universities NCI also provides practical assistance with visa applications, research affiliations and visits at Indian universities and institutes, and help when establishing research cooperation between Nordic and Indian universities. Scholars and representatives of the member universities also have the opportunity to stay at the Director's residence in Delhi. Members. The consortium NCI consists of 19 member universities in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and 1 associate member. DENMARK FINLAND ICELAND NORWAY SWEDEN LITHUANIA ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Indian Partners. NCI has agreements and cooperates with the following universities and research institutes in India: In cooperation with the University  of Hyderabad, NCI offers a four-week-long summer training program on "Contemporary India" and "Gender and Society in Contemporary India" as well as provides students from the member universities the opportunity to spend a full semester in Hyderabad through the Study in India Program (SIP). NCI also runs a summer training program titled "Approaching the Environment in India" together with the Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC) in Bangalore, and a summer program on "Demography, Gender and Reproductive Health" in cooperation with the International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) in Mumbai.The summer course "Human Rights in India  An Introduction" is organized at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) in Bangalore. With India in context, this program aims to deliberate and provide an intensive immersion in Human Rights Law and Practice.