In its 90th year, TISS to unveil two missions to strengthen India, global presence

Mumbai, Dec 12 (PTI) The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Friday said it is planning to start academic expansion through two missions to strengthen its global as well as domestic presence.

On global front, the deemed to be university and grant-in aid institute under the education ministry is looking to collaborate for joint research with universities in western countries and also become a global hub for rural innovations.

"We are going to start Mission Bharat and Mission Global as part of TISS Navati. This will be part of TISS 90-year celebrations in February 2026," Vice-Chancellor Badri Narayan Tiwari told reporters.

TISS is completing 90 years in 2026, and these initiatives will be part of the institute's decade-long preparation for centenary celebrations, he noted.

As part of Mission Bharat, TISS is planning to create awareness among students about the institute and opportunities it presents in states from where student intake is less, Tiwari said.

"Our focus will be in the northeast, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhy Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, among others. For this we are going to form a strategy and our professors will visit colleges in these areas, especially in marginalised areas, and present all aspects of the institute. Through this, we want to project that TISS is for everyone and not just for the elite," the VC stated.

Under Mission Bharat, TISS will also focus on skilling.

"We are also expanding our skill education network, which is already operational in 67 locations globally. On this, we will not only work in India but also in countries where there are skill gaps like in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America," he informed.

Tiwari stated that the prestigious institute is planning academic expansion covering a range of courses, including under-graduate, post-graduate and executive PhD programmes.

Under Mission Global, TISS will collaborate for joint research with universities in western countries.

"Besides collaboration, we also looking at expanding our dual degree programme, which we currently have with four universities," the VC noted.

TISS is also looking at becoming a global rural innovation hub as part of Mission Global, he said.

"Under this, we will record rural and grassroots innovations and present them to global audience. For this, our Tuljapur campus in Maharashtra (Dharashiv district) will be the hub. Similarly, we will extend the same in countries in Africa and Southeast Asia, among others," Tiwari maintained. PTI SM RSY