The iconic India Pavilion at the Expo City in Dubai will host the first overseas campus of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT). An MoU to this effect was signed on 03 October 2024 by Professor Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Vice Chancellor of IIFT and Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority. IIFT is likely to move into its premises by early 2025 with short and medium-term training programmes, research and eventually with lauch of its flagship programme, MBA (International Business). 

IIFT, regarded as an academic centre of excellence in international business research, training and education, will establish its first campus outside of India at the former Expo 2020 India Pavilion. The campus will be a boon for the 3.5 million-strong Indian community residing in the UAE. It will also open doorways for the overseas expansion and recognition of the IIFT brand. 

The MoU between IIFT and Dubai EXPO City builds on a range of bilateral agreements between India and the UAE, including a mechanism to settle trade in local currencies,  the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Bilateral Investment Treaty and others. On 2nd September, 2024, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, inaugurated the campus of IIT Delhi – Abu Dhabi with its the first B Tech Course. 

Congratulating the institute, Union Commerce Minister, Piyush Goyal said that IIFT’s new campus at Dubai would be a landmark decision in transforming it into a world class institute in real sense. Moreover, with IIFT’s expertise in the area of foreign trade, it would provide opportunity for students, professionals and government officials not only from UAE but from other parts of the world too for training and research in the area of international trade.

Commerce Secretary and Chancellor of the Institute, Sunil Barthwal expressing his happiness about IIFT’s establishing its maiden overseas campus at Expo City, Dubai, said that institute’s offshore campus in Dubai would be a critical step not only for international expansion of IIFT but it would also facilitate promotion of international trade not only with UAE but also in the entire gulf region and beyond. 

IIFT Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rakesh Mohan Joshi said that its first offshore campus at Dubai would be a milestone to transform IIFT into a world-class institute with cutting-edge research, training and academic programmes.

About IIFT:

Established in 1963 as an autonomous body under Ministry of Commerce, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has gained Deemed University status and is one of the premier business institutions in India focussing on Foreign Trade  and highly regarded as an academic centre of excellence in international business research, training and education. IIFT will collaborate with Expo City Dubai on research projects and other knowledge-sharing activities focused on sustainability and innovation.

Cross-border campus establishment expands international education and trade cooperation, enabling research collaboration and regional training. A cross-border campus will be established by the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade at Expo City Dubai under a signed Memorandum of Understanding, commencing with short- and medium-term training and research programmes and progressing to the MBA (International Business), leveraging IIFT's deemed university status and specialization to serve students, professionals and officials across the UAE and the Gulf while enabling joint research and knowledge sharing with Expo City Dubai on sustainability and innovation.