This includes a new Science and Technology Action Plan, announced by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during meetings with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in early August.

A further eleven scholarship projects are to receive funding as part of the Brazil Award: Joint Research Projects Programme, plus a further CAD$5 million has been allocated to renew the International Science and Technology Partnership programme, which was established in 2005 in order to promote collaborative research and development between Canadian and foreign scientists and technologists.

The new programmes continue the work of the 2010 memorandum of understanding between Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Brazil’s Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education. The programmes are hoped to encourage academic mobility and cooperation between top research universities in the two countries.

President and CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education, Karen McBride, which manages the Canadian projects said: “It is encouraging that there is widespread public interest in the growing relationship between Canada and Brazil, particularly because of what it could mean for strategic partnerships in the education sector – which are foundational to sustained political and economic ties between our countries.”

Brazil has also recently announced an investment of US$2.2 billion in science and technology scholarships for student studying overseas, and Canada is likely to be a popular destination for those students, especially due to the opening of three new visa application centres in Brazil for processing study applications for Canada.

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The group will forge mutually beneficial links between Canada and one of the world’s most dynamic economies. The visit was organised by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and includes 15 presidents from universities across Canada.

Over the course of seven days, they will participate in a series of targeted meetings with Indian educators, government officials and business leaders. The first major event will be a roundtable of Canadian and Indian University presidents to be joined by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Canada’s Minister of State (Science and Technology) and India’s Minister of Human Resource Development, the Honourable Kapil Sibal.

Another key occasion will be the delegation’s participation in the higher education summit organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. They plan to return to Canada with deeper connections that will lead to creative cooperation agreements, and leave behind an enhanced profile of Canada as a key player in the global knowledge economy.

Canada has been moving aggressively in recent years to step up cooperation with India, and the two countries have signed agreements in a number of areas, including in higher education. There are enormous potential benefits in this sector, and the mission is a coordinated attempt to tap into that potential.

“In this age of globalisation, it will be the formation of super-partnerships, rather than single superpowers, that will lead the way,” adds Dr. Indira Samarasekera, President of the University of Alberta who is also joining the delegation for a portion of the mission. “With a focus on education, energy, and entrepreneurship, Canada and India can lay the foundations of a formidable super-partnership.”

“Next year, 2011, has been designated Year of India in Canada,” notes Mr. Rana Sarkar, President and CEO of the Canada-India Business Council. “As they get to know India better, we hope Canadians will recognise the breadth, depth and permanence of the economic changes happening there, as well as its potential. In that context, more cooperation can only benefit both countries.”

The following universities are representing in India:

• University of Manitoba
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• University of New Brunswick
• OCAD University
• Royal Roads University
• Saint Mary’s University
• Vancouver Island University
• Thompson Rivers University
• University of Regina
• University of British Columbia
• Dalhousie University
• University of Saskatchewan
• Queen’s University
• University of Alberta

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In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, senior executives from Network Rail, Shell, Centrica and GlaxoSmithKline spoke about the vital contribution made by universities to the long-term financial and economic stability of the country.

The government, which is planning to cut over £600 million from university funding budgets over the next couple of years, has been encouraged by the business community to recognise the important position of universities, especially when it comes to “science, innovation and knowledge”.

The links between the business and higher education worlds is worth roughly £30 billion a year and the business leaders said stronger links could “spur the economy on further”.

The business community has always looked to universities for graduate talent and innovative research and many believe a reduction in funding could damage these strong ties. Business also helps fund higher education which increases the investment potential in the UK and, if the relationship was damaged, the UK could be in danger of falling behind the rest of the world.

A similar claim has been made by the British Academy who claim that a reduction of funding for humanities subjects would decrease the nature of the UK’s standing in the world. Science and maths are obviously the most notable subjects in terms of international achievement but Sir Adam Roberts of the British Academy said humanities disciplines also contributed to the health and wealth of the UK.

Named the Lilongwe University of Science and Technology, the University will offer a range of programmes in the fields of science, medicine, law and engineering and is said to be “one of the major objectives of President Bingu wa Muntharika’s administration on national development and on improving education in Malawi.”

Currently Malawi has two other universities — the University of Malawi and the Mzuzu University so competition into the institution is expected to be fierce.

The speech came after recent concern over the Ministers decision to ring fence funding for science and technology at higher education level. A decision, which the critics say, has been damaging to the promotion of arts and humanities.

“The Government has tried hard to encourage higher education in the arts and humanities as part of an overall commitment to promoting excellence in higher education,” claimed the Minister.

“Education in the arts and humanities, no less than in the sciences, is among the main factors that defines British culture and British identity in the 21st century. That it is an indispensable component of the glue that holds the country together and without which we cannot truly flourish,” said Lammy.

He went on to say, “There’s no doubt that the need for graduate level skills, whether in the sciences or the social sciences, or the arts and humanities has risen over the years, and will rise further as our businesses increasingly try to compete in a high tech, high value market world.”

To read David Lammy’s complete speech, click here.