THE INDIA OXFORD INTIATIVE (INDOX)
About the research project
The India-Oxford Initiative (IndOx) is a mechanism to build and sustain partnerships between individuals and institutions in India and students, academics, and administrative staff at the University. It acts as a hub to coordinate, support, and fund India-related activities across the University of Oxford, and as a contact point for potential external stakeholders, donors, and partners.
Between 2019 and 2021, with funding from GCRF, IndOx has supported six workshops and 20 graduate students through various schemes. In 2021-22, over 25 small grants were awarded to academics, researchers and students at the University of Oxford to support costs for research travel, to host visiting academics and cultural collaborators.
IndOx organised five webinars in the 2020-21 academic year, and four more in 2021-22, with further seminars, lectures and conferences planned for 2022-22. Recordings of the webinars are available here.
Research aims
IndOx seeks to develop equitable partnerships with Indian organisations and institutions, leading to collaborative academic research of mutual benefit. The Initiative particularly looks to support students and early-career researchers to develop successful collaborations across all academic disciplines. Within Oxford, IndOx aims to attract participants from across the University. The Strategy Board includes representatives from all five of Oxford's divisions. In addition, IndOx's working groups provide another forum for participation by academics with links to India.
Examples of funded research includes a collaborative project (including the Ashmolean Museum), “Heritage and enquiry-based learning in urban Primary schools in India”, led by the Department of Continuing Education. Other projects are in the areas of empowering women and girls; reducing inequalities; a cancer control continuum; green ammonia production; and interpreting urban spatiality for people, waste and animals.
These projects represent collaborations across disciplines at Oxford, and with researchers in India.
Image of the Indian Institute, Oxford © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.
Ashmolean India Gallery Nandi Statue, Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Project funders
August 2021 - July 2023: Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
August 2019 - July 2021: Global Challenges Research Fund, University of Oxford
Project start
October 2018
Project team
The Initiative is run by the Strategy Board, an academic-led University-wide body, with representatives from all five divisions at Oxford and a representative from an Oxford college or centre with an India focus.
Mallica Kumbera Landrus, Keeper of Eastern Art and Senior Curator of Indian Art at the Ashmolean Museum, is the Chair of IndOx
Nandini Gooptu, Associate Professor of South Asian Studies (Chair of the Strategy Board)
Faisal Devji, Professor of Indian History and Director of the Asian Studies Centre
Toral Gathani, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Epidemiology and Consultant Surgeon
Radhika Khosla, Research Director of the Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development and Research Fellow at Somerville College
Nishant Kumar, Research Fellow at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
Ankhi Mukherjee, Professor of English and World Literatures
Arjune Sen, Associate Professor in Clinical Neurosciences
Srusti Palakshappa, Undergraduate Student and OIS President
Andrew Brown, Senior International Officer, International Engagement Office
Marwa Ahmed, Programme Manager.
Research Connections
Funded Projects | The India-Oxford Initiative
Research Partnerships | The India-Oxford Initiative
Through collaboration and partnership on a variety of projects across the University, IndOx and its funded initiatives have established several new equitable partnerships and built on existing research connections with several institutions across India and the subcontinent, including:
- Krea University (with whom IndOx currently has an MoU)
- Indian Law Society
- Christian Medical College
- The Banyan Academy for Leadership in Mental Health
- Wildlife Institute of India
- Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar
- Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune
- Delhi Municipal Corporation
- CSDS Delhi
- Govt. of Haryana
- Tata Institute of Social Science- Hyderabad
- Indian Institute of Technology- Delhi
- Indian Institute of Management- Ahmadabad
- University of Kolkata
Outputs
An online searchable database of India-focussed academics and researchers at the University of Oxford or those working in partnership with colleagues in the subcontinent. The IndOx database continues to grow and colleagues are encouraged to register so as to enable new connections and collaborations.
2019-2021
Financial support for 20 doctoral students
Funded seven multi-disciplinary thematic workshops and two cross-divisional multi-disciplinary collaborative projects, all with a diverse representation from across several departments at Oxford, and also researchers in India.
2021-2023
So far, we have awarded over 25 small grants to students, academics and researchers at the University.
To date, four international webinars/hybrid seminars
Annual meeting and networking event at Wolfson College
For more information on IndOx activities and outputs: The India-Oxford Initiative and Twitter (@india_oxford)
