Nagpur, Maharashtra, India | Wednesday, April 29, 2020:
The Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIM Nagpur) signed a landmark agreement with Chuo University, Graduate School of Strategic Management (Chuo University, GSoSM). The agreement is the first of its kind with any major Asian university of higher education. Starting with Chuo University, GSoSM, the agreement opens up the possibility of deep academic exchanges with reputed Japanese universities. Specifically, the agreement paves the way for collaborative research on contemporary issues, faculty and student exchanges, and also cultural exchanges between the two schools. Focus areas will include managerial and administrative issues in the cross-cultural context, entrepreneurship, and management of technology, among others. In order to further such collaborations, and spearhead IIM Nagpur’s internationalization efforts in Japan, IIM Nagpur has recently set up a dedicated center of excellence, the Indo-Japan Research Center (IJRC) under the chairmanship of Prof. Rahul Kumar Sett. IIM Nagpur takes special interest in Japanese universities and Japan, given the strong relationship that India and Japan enjoy in the economic, strategic, and cultural spheres. Mr. C. P. Gurnani, Chairman, IIM Nagpur, and CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, along with the Board of Governors of IIM Nagpur has deemed collaborations with top Japanese universities and industry partners as an area of special interest for IIM Nagpur, given the increasingly strengthening ties between the two countries.
Prof. L S Murty, Director, IIM Nagpur said, “Our collaboration with top Japanese universities, and industry partners will open up great opportunities for the academia and the industry. We at IIM Nagpur, will nurture and develop these relationships in developing new knowledge and knowhow to enrich industrial best practices and strategies, and to foster cross-cultural collaborative research in management. Ultimately, we intend to develop something that is truly Asian in character but global in application. With this collaboration, we are embarking on yet another exciting journey towards the truth through individual reflection and collective discourse, true to our motto सत्यं च स्वाध्याय प्रवचने च [satyam cha svadhyayapravachane cha]”.
Prof. Rahul Kumar Sett, Chairman, IJRC, IIM Nagpur added, “International collaboration in management research is becoming the norm rather than an exception. Our collaboration with Japanese universities will help us in creating new knowledge and managerial knowhow at the confluence of Indian and Japanese philosophies, principles, and values. IJRC, IIM Nagpur will uphold the spirit of universal humanism as espoused by Tagore and Swami Vivekananda, with critical openness as espoused by Prof. Amartya Sen, in its endeavour to contribute to the academia and the industry. The potential is tremendous.”
Chuo University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Japan and in the world. The university was founded in 1885, and Chuo University, GSoSM was founded in 2008 with the specific aim of developing leading professional managers in the field of strategic management. The university nurtures close ties with the Japanese industry. Notable alumni include CEOs and Chairpersons of the Suzuki Motor Corporation, and the Seven & i Holdings, among others.
IIM Nagpur is an institution of national importance established by the Government of India in 2015 and is mandated by the government to produce highly capable professional managers, and to further collaborative research and education in the field of management in contributing to both academia and industry at the national and international level. The collaboration between IIM Nagpur, and Chuo University, GSoSM, and the foundation of IJRC address this mandate.