- Aston University has signed agreements with two leading Indian education institutions
- They were signed with XLRI, Xavier School of Management and All India Management Association (AIMA)
- The signings took place during the West Midlands Mayoral Mission to India.
Aston University has signed agreements with two leading Indian education institutions.
The University’s Aston Business School signed them with XLRI, Xavier School of Management and All India Management Association (AIMA), India’s national body for the management profession, to open up new courses to students in India and the UK.
The signings took place during the West Midlands Mayoral Mission to India, a delegation of West Midlands business, academic and political leaders led by Mayor Richard Parker and was attended by Aston University’s Professor Gurpreet Singh Jagpal OBE, chief commercial officer, and Professor Pawan Budhwar, associate deputy vice-chancellor international.
The MoU with XLRI, Xavier School of Management (formerly known as XLRI - Xavier Labour Relations Institute) is expected to lead to dual-degree pathways, possibly including a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) tailored for the Indian market, and an MSc in Consulting subject to feasibility and approvals.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday 24 February in Mumbai by Professor Jagpal and Professor Santosh Sangem, convenor, international relations & collaborations at XLRI.
A letter of intent was signed with AIMA, which is based in New Delhi and was established in 1957. Their agreement is expected to lead the way to a UK-based AIMA-Aston ‘immersion programme’ and short executive skills courses which could lead students to study Aston postgraduate programmes, professional development and online courses. There is also potential for these courses to provide access to research or doctoral level study.
It was made official on 27 February in Bangalore, signed by Professor Jagpal and the director of AIMA’s Centre for Management Education Professor Rohit Singh and its programme director of new age courses Professor Ganesh Singh.
Professor Jagpal said: “This mission to India and the signing of the MoU and letter of intent shows Aston University’s commitment to collaboration with Indian partners to expand access to industry-relevant education and skills. It is a key step in delivering Aston University’s 2030 vision to extend our reach, scale our impact, and enhance our reputation in India, one of our most strategically important global markets.
“We are delighted to partner with these two institutions. XLRI’s visibility with Indian and global corporates and its reputation for producing employer-ready graduates make it a strong platform for promoting West Midlands-India engagement in skills, talent, and business ties. Meanwhile AIMA is a national management body with wide reach across corporate and institutional leaders, and the MoU will foster business engagement initiatives with the West Midlands.”
The West Midlands Delegation took place between 22 to 27 February 2026 and toured Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bengaluru, meeting with business leaders and government officials and building on the historic UK-India Free Trade Agreement signed in July 2025.
- Notes to editors
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About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media enquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Head of Communications 07825 342091 or n.jones6@aston.ac.uk