The Nordic Centre in India (NCI) was established in 2001 as a consortium of Nordic universities and research institutions. The objective is 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. In November 2004, NCI got final clearance from the Indian Government to operate in India.
From 2010, the NCI secretariat is based at the Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition/Unit of Public Health, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio campus.
NCI runs educational courses for Nordic students in India at different universities in India (More information about the courses on NCI’s website and below in the end of this section), and has a flat with rooms available to rent in Delhi. The flat can be rented by students, researchers, and other personnel affiliated to the Nordic member universities. Full information about conditions for renting rooms.
The consortium consists of 22 member universities in the Nordic countries (5 in Sweden, 3 in Norway, 4 in Denmark, 8 in Finland, 1 in Iceland, plus NIAS in Copenhagen). NCI aims at supporting collaboration on research and education between the Nordic countries and India.
More information on the Nordic Centre in India website.
NCI has appointed a new Director to work on a 50% basis from March 2012, Dr. Kristina Myrvold at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University. As Director she is responsible for the daily activities at the NCI, including the follow-up of ongoing programmes as well as to develop new projects according to the directives of the NCI board and general assembly. Journeys to India and within the Nordic countries constitute a regular part of this work.
Kristina Myrvold succeeds Dr. Mirja Juntunen, who has been the NCI Director since 2006, but now has decided to fully focus on her other tasks and plans in the academic world, mainly as a researcher/lecturer at the Division of South and Central Asian Studies, Department of Oriental Languages; Stockholm University. More information about Dr. Juntunen and her research.
Since 2007, Jussi Kauhanen, Professor of Public Health, University of Kuopio, Finland, has been the Chairman of the NCI board. Prof. Kauhanen is also Director for the School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition at his home university. He succeeded Dr. Neelambar Hatti, Lund University, who was the first chairman of NCI board.
The Nordic Centre in India is engaged in arranging four-weeks 7.5 ECTS summer courses for Nordic students in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai, and also full semester course in Hyderabad (organised by the Study India Programme at the University of Hyderabad). The courses are open to students from all Nordic universities and institutions of higher learning, but students from the NCI member institutions join the course at a much reduced cost compared to other participants.
During the Summer 2011, NCI organised four summer courses. Besides the 'Contemporary India' course again held in Hyderabad, a course titled 'Approaching the Environment' was held in Bangalore (at the Institute for Economic and Social Change, ISEC), and a course titled 'Demography, Gender and Reproductive Health' was held in Mumbai (at the International Institute for Population Sciences, IIPS). A multidisciplinary training programme titled 'Methods and Applications in Social Science Research' was held at ISEC in Bangalore. Each member university nominated candidates and reserves for each course.