French B-school ESCP seeks collaborations with IITs

ESCP Business School, established in Paris in 1819 and recognized as the world’s oldest business school, is preparing to formalize academic collaborations with premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

“We’ve initiated discussions and are progressing toward signing an MOU with the IITs,” said Leon Laulusa, Executive President and Dean of ESCP Business School.

The proposed cooperation will cover student exchange programs, collaborative research activities, and faculty mobility, in an attempt to connect business education and technological innovation. Emerging technologies, sustainability, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship are among the significant areas of emphasis.

ESCP, perennially among the world's top institutions already boasts a good record of academic collaborations. Its current dual-degree program with Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science is an example of the school's emphasis on the convergence of engineering and management education. Such collaborations are expected with institutions such as IIT Bombay.

The involvement of the school in India starts from 1985 through cooperation with IIM Ahmedabad as a student exchange that has now developed into double-degree programs with IIMs and other Indian business schools. While thousands of Indian students undergo exchange programs in France, reverse mobility is minimal, with fewer French students seeking academic exposure in India. This has been ascribed to cultural attitudes, safety, and a lack of awareness.

While ESCP has no plans to open a campus or research center in India at present, its Dubai campus, based in the Dubai International Finance Centre, is likely to attract students from India and South Asia. This would be likely to accommodate the increasing number of Indian students joining ESCP, which has recorded a 16% increase over the last three years.