Directorate of International and Collaborations (DoIC) is headed by a team of dedicated staff and supported by the advisory council with a group of faculty and administrators representing key academic units are functional under this office. DoIC is established to promote internationalization and partnerships with international institutes is functional for collaboration with institutes globally for student and faculty exchange, semester abroad program, student mobility, higher education opportunities and signing of MoUs with local and global educational and research Institutes. Also supports local student chapter of The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) team also takes care and all International activities, projects, funding, mobility (short, long) and Summer and Winter Schools.
In summary, this office provides the comprehensive and unified framework within which all work in the International arena can seamlessly be achieved.
The Office is primarily responsible for providing direction, assistance and synchronizing all of the University’s international work with overseas Institutions and Governments. While providing this leadership role, the office does recognize the importance of individual initiatives, needs and innovativeness of faculty and students across the University. Thus, its primary role is to coordinate the individual activities through a central location, within the context of a well thought out international strategic plan and to facilitate the interrelated and concomitant activities. The key focus is to provide a centralized location for helping the faculty, staff and students the needed assistance for all of their international work. Individual decentralized colleges and schools will still continue to pursue their individual interests although they will be required to coordinate their work through this central location.
The office will also help align international opportunities with each college’s curriculum enabling student mobility across institutions, enroll transnational students for both short and long term, facilitate institutional grants and contracts, and pursue value creating projects for the University in general.
It is not uncommon these days for students to traverse the globe to spend a few weeks or a semester engaging themselves in studying, co-opting or interning, conducting research or partaking in other academic pursuits, in countries around the world. These experiences advance and impact positively their attitudes, skill sets and knowledge base, which will be of immense benefit to the students and enable to be competitive and resourceful in the future. Thus, DoIC will be the University's comprehensive resource for study abroad, research abroad, intern abroad, and other educational experiences worldwide. The pivotal goal is to help students and faculty stretch across borders, perhaps farther than they thought possible. By promoting intercultural competence, meticulous erudition and acquisition of foreign languages, DoIC should provide opportunities for academically sound international experiences. It will also administer student exchange programs with partner institutions around the globe, in conjunction with other bodies on campus.
It will serve as the primary liaison and resource center for the University’s vital international linkages, by supporting the development of all memorandum of agreements and partnerships with overseas universities, foreign governments and international organizations abroad. It will help promote the involvement of Manipal’s faculty members, staff and students in international research and development projects, facilitate access to international funding opportunities and in general enrich Manipal Academy of Higher Education’s engagement with global cultures by sharing our physical and intellectual resources with other societies across the world.
DoIC will also provide the necessary expertise in the advising of various aspects of settling in on campus and compliance with immigration requirements for all international students, international faculty and staff, and short-term exchange visitors. Similar assistance will be extended to Manipal students aspiring to travel overseas to facilitate a safe and pleasant experience. In addition, in the long run the DoIC should ensure the university compliance with the myriad of evolving regulations in conjunction with the office of quality and compliance, support the University by managing global student and scholar interactions, and facilitate in general, the well-being of all international students, faculty, and staff.