NewsVoir
Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], February 20: Parul University today announced the launch of India's first New Zealand Centre of Excellence at a private university, marking a significant milestone in deepening India-New Zealand academic collaboration. The launch took place in the presence of Matthew Ayers, Deputy High Commissioner of New Zealand to India, alongside senior leaders and academics from six of New Zealand's eight universities.
The Centre of Excellence has been launched following three years of sustained academic, student, and research engagement led by Parul University in partnership with Estero Education Services and New Zealand universities. Unlike traditional models where centres are established first, and programs follow, this initiative is outcome-driven, consolidating collaborations that are already active and delivering measurable results.
Parul University has emerged as a leading Indian institution in internationalisation, embedding global collaboration across faculties, curriculum design, student mobility, and research engagement. Through this Centre of Excellence, the University aims to scale structured student pathways, faculty exchange, joint research, sustainability-led initiatives, and long-term academic capacity building with New Zealand partners.
Dr Devanshu Patel, President, Parul University, said, "This Centre of Excellence reflects Parul University's long-term commitment to building meaningful, structured, and outcome-focused global partnerships. Our vision is to ensure that international collaboration strengthens academic depth, research relevance, and student opportunity."
Dr Preeti Nair, Director - Centre of International Relations & Research (CIRR), Parul University, added, "INSPIRE NZ is the result of sustained academic alignment and collaborative execution. It provides a cohesive platform that integrates student mobility, faculty engagement, and research dialogue into one scalable and future-ready framework."
Speaking at the launch, Kshitij Garg, Managing Director, Estero Education Services, said, "What makes this Centre of Excellence truly distinctive is that it is built on outcomes, not intent. Parul University has demonstrated what it means to commit institutionally--through leadership support, faculty engagement, and a student-first approach. INSPIRE NZ brings structure, visibility, and long-term direction to a collaboration that was already delivering real impact."
The initiative received strong endorsement from New Zealand university partners. Djhoanna Lambert, Associate Director - Global Engagement & Partnerships at Victoria University of Wellington, said, "Incredible energy at the launch of INSPIRE NZ. This partnership--uniting Parul University, Estero Education Services and six of the eight New Zealand universities, including Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington--creates a dynamic platform for connecting academics, researchers, and students across mobility programmes, entrepreneurship, innovation and research. It was a privilege to present two new articulation agreements between Victoria University of Wellington and Parul University in Design Innovation and Computer Science during this auspicious event."
Estero Education Services has played a strategic facilitation role in conceptualising and enabling the collaboration, aligning institutional priorities, ensuring continuity, and supporting the translation of academic intent into sustained outcomes.
The launch of the Centre coincides with growing momentum in India-New Zealand bilateral relations, including the recent conclusion of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, under which education has been identified as a key area of cooperation.
With the establishment of this Centre of Excellence, Parul University and its New Zealand partners aim to create a long-term, integrated academic ecosystem that strengthens people-to-people ties, advances research and innovation, and positions New Zealand as a preferred destination for Indian students.
About Estero Education Services
Estero Education Services is a New Zealand-India education management organisation specialising in student guidance for higher education in New Zealand, as well as ethical, outcomes-driven international education partnerships and institutional collaboration.
Email: info@estero.co.nz
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