King's College, British Council sign up for new India service

King's College London and British Council will be among the first to use a new service aimed at providing British companies with a one-stop platform for expansion of their operations in India.
The two well-known British institutions have signed up to the UK India Business Council's (UKIBC) 'Launchpad' service, which will officially kick off in Gurgaon in September 2013.
The service is aimed at British companies looking to establish their presence in India. Under this, a dedicated consultant will help them understand the market through in-depth feasibility studies and detailed investigation of market conditions.
"King's College London has chosen to locate its India-based research and partnership operations at the UK India Business Centre in Gurgaon and to use UKIBC's Launchpad service to help support in-country set-up," said Tayyeb Shah, director of international strategy at the college.

"The UKIBC's Centre will provide us with excellent facilities as well as a base for our visiting academics and students undertaking India-related projects and studies,"he added.
The new centre in Gurgaon will act as a 'hub' for UK-India business relations within the North Central Economic Region (NCER) of India.

The UKIBC will also open a smaller office at Connaught Place in New Delhi as part of a long-term strategy to create a pan-India presence.
"It is really fantastic that the UKIBC are providing this platform for British companies in India and it will surely benefit UK-India trade immensely," said Rob Lynes, Director of British Council India.

""I am very pleased that the King's College London and the British Council have signed up for our services...Launchpad is an ideal platform for companies for their India entry," said Richard Heald, Group CEO of UKIBC.
The organisation's new centre in Gurgaon will not only be the first to be rolled out across India, but also the first one globally in this business-led initiative backed by the British government in 20 priority trade markets.
The plans for such a UK-India platform was announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron during his high-profile visit to India in February this year.