Indian varisities need to open up more: Phil Baty

Interview with Editor, Times Higher Education rankings

India has performed better in the Times Higher Education rankings compared to last year, with 10 institutes featuring in the Top 100 list. Phil Baty, editor, Times Higher Education rankings, tells M Saraswathy about the dramatic improvement in the country's representation and the reasons for this. Edited excerpts:

India has seen a big improvement in its ranking. How has this been achieved?

The biggest surprise has been the dramatically improved representation in the Top 100 list for India this year - leaping from just three institutions in 2013 to 10 this year. But I have to say that this is as much about the improved engagement of Indian universities with the international agenda than it is about a sudden, major improvement in performance. Times Higher Education's portfolio of global university rankings is the most respected and trusted throughout the world, and the rankings are built based on individual relationships with each and every institution included, who see the value of sharing their data and joining the assessment process.

It has been the case in the past that India, with major domestic priorities to focus on, has been hesitant to engage with the data collection and analysis programme, but things have really changed. Encouraged by strong government backing to take part in the global rankings process, India's representation in our databases has grown year after year, and I'm delighted to see that the biggest and brightest names in Indian higher education are now getting on board with this important project. This not only means that Indian universities' existing strengths can be properly showcased on the world stage, which can help improve reputation, but also more and more Indian universities now have the opportunity to properly monitor, check and benchmark their development against the world's leading universities using Times Higher Education's trusted, global standards. The signs for future success are really positive.

What more needs to be done by educational institutes here to fare better?

India has already made a crucial step towards future success - it has accepted, at government level, that its universities can not ignore global rankings. By getting involved in the rankings and sharing data and best practice, Indian universities can properly identify their strengths and weaknesses, and put in place clear improvement plans. The government's move, alongside embracing the rankings, to ensure proper quality assurance procedures across the sector is also a great step.

But there are still areas which need attention in India. In my view, Indian universities need to open up more to the global community, ensuring that they forge research partnerships with the best universities elsewhere in the world. There is a need to ensure better integration and cross-pollination between university research and industrial research, to help build university research capacity. Indian institutions also need to improve infrastructure and salaries, and streamline bureaucracy to help retain the fantastically talented Indian scholars who often leave the country to pursue research careers elsewhere.

But, ultimately, to ensure universities compete on the world stage requires investment. The government must ensure it meets its commitments to increase the amount of government money invested in higher education and research.

China has been among the top regions. What are the factors that help it retain its position?

China made a very clear commitment at the national level in the 1990s to build an elite cadre of world-class research universities which can compete with the best universities in the world. Universities were selected for special funding at extremely generous levels, and there was a major drive to get back those Chinese scholars who had left their country to work abroad with generous terms and conditions and top-notch facilities. Such is the level of investment that it is not uncommon now to see in the top Chinese universities exiting academics who have been lured away from the top US universities, such as Stanford and Harvard, by fantastic equipment and conditions.

This concerted effort at the government level has really started to pay off. China looks set to overtake Japan as Asia's number one higher education nation in terms of rankings, and its leading universities are making real progress in going up the rank board. The investment is also set to pay off in terms of improved economic growth for China, as it reaches the forefront of new knowledge creation. China is a great example of what can be achieved with the right policy environment.