U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) hosted the opening ceremonies for the first ever U.S.-India Higher Education Summit. India's Union Minister of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns addressed over 300 leaders and senior representatives from some of America's and India's top companies and academic institutions.

The conclave assembled leaders from the business sector and academia to consider the imperative of deeper U.S.-India collaboration in education.
Speaking on the occasion, USIBC President Ron Somers stated, "Against the backdrop of a fragile global economic recovery, and as the world becomes ever-more competitive, the knowledge partnership between the United States and India will become central to assuring that American as well as Indian companies remain globally competitive. This competitive edge will only be possible to achieve if the human capacity of our societies is properly equipped to take on the challenges of tomorrow. Looking to the long future, we stand a very good chance as partners in building a capable, high quality global workforce that can shape the 21st Century."

The U.S.-India Higher Education Summit, a priority of Prime Minister Singh and President Obama announced in November 2010, is an important step in establishing a formal platform to bring closer the academic institutions from both countries to facilitate greater collaboration. "USIBC through its 400 member-companies stands committed in supporting this important initiative," said Somers.

Through its Education Initiative, USIBC is committed to being at the forefront of strengthening education collaboration between the world's two largest free-market democracies. USIBC's Education Initiative recognizes the imperative to leverage India's great demographic dividend. More than 220 million students between the ages of 6 and 18 require better access to K--12 education, vocational education and training, and institutes of higher learning. Working with academia, industry, and NGOs to strengthen institutional linkages is one of USIBC's highest priorities.