In 1996/7 I spent one year as a postdoctoral research associate at the Centre for Theoretical Studies of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. The IISc is the premier research institution of India. At the time I was doing research in the area of quantum gravity.

Ten years later, the focus India has also reached Hof. Starting with students from India joining our Master of Software Engineering program and German students doing their internships in India, the university has recognized the importance of India, and has made it a pillar of its strategy for the next decade.

We have been able to sign memoranda of understanding (MoU) with such outstanding institutions as the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore.

In our efforts to bring India also closer to the local industry, we very successfully organized a India-Forum (Indien Forum), which was held on March, 23rd 2007. More than 80 participants were informed about the possibilities and risks of doing business in India. It was also a great personal pleasure that my dear friend, Prof. Dr. Sharath Ananthamurthy from Bangalore University was there to give us his intriguing insights into the Higher Education in India.

The plans for the near future include the establishment of a Bavarian-Indian Center at the University of Applied Sciences, Hof.