The University Grants Commission has sanctioned a grant of Rs. 19lakh as non-recurring fund for the setting up of a Centre for European Studies at Pondicherry University.
The grant is for one associate professor, one assistant professor and one research associate to undertake research on the European Union, said J.A.K. Tareen, Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University.
The main focus of the centre would be to provide interdisciplinary research on the European Union, with special attention on France, Germany and the United Kingdom. It would help to increase the visibility of the EU in India, he said.
Director of the Centre of European Studies B. Krishnamoorthy said the centre would offer a Post Graduate diploma in European Studies; several certificate courses as well as an M.Phil and Ph.D in European studies.
The main focus of the research would be the foreign policy of the EU, relations of the EU with other countries, security policy, Europe and Asia, Economy, business and environmental development. There would also be studies on the conflict transformation, which is a very popular topic amongst researchers, he said.
The PG Diploma would be slightly different from the run of the mill courses that have subjects like European History and culture. Instead, it would offer a course on European Law, economy and business, which are topics that are relevant to people in today's world, he said.
The university already has a Centre for South Asian Studies, so talks are afoot to combine the two and start a School of International Studies, which would be the second of its kind in the country, Mr. Tareen said.
