The call for nominations for the third iteration of NISAU’s India UK Achievers Honours is now open – a movement that honours the shared legacy between the UK and India by celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of Indian students who have thrived in the UK.

The awards highlights exceptional Indian talent cultivated in the UK, nurturing the enduring educational and cultural bonds between these two countries.

According to NISAU founder Sanam Arora, the third edition of the awards promises to be the most impactful yet. 

Sector stakeholders, MPs and alumni came together in the House of Lords on November 4 to celebrate the launch of the nominations, marking Diwali with a celebration of India-UK relations and the inspiring achievements of Indian students.

“We gather in this historic institution not only to celebrate the Festival of Lights, but to illuminate and launch the third edition of a program that has become a symbol of the enduring bond between our two countries,” said Arora at the launch event.

“Over the past two years that we’ve run the program, we’ve brought to life stories that inspire hope and demonstrate the boundless potential of those we carry, both in Indian and British identity.

“We have seen students break barriers in academia, entrepreneurs spark waves of innovation… We’ve seen leaders forge bonds that really uplift communities. Their stories remind us that talent knows no borders and that partnership between our countries is as relevant, if not more today than than ever before.”

The event brought together many more prominent supporters of the movement, who shared their perspectives on the vital role of education in strengthening the India-UK relationship.

Among them was co-chair of APPG for international students, Lord Bilimoria, present at the event, who said: “India is an economy that everyone is looking at, it’s a country that everyone is looking at as an emerging global superpower.”

India is an economy that everyone is looking at, it’s a country that everyone is looking at an emerging global superpower
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Meanwhile, Sir Steve Smith, the UK’s international education champion took the opportunity to highlight the UK government’s approach to international education.

“It’s impossible actually to overstate the soft power as well as the lifelong friendships our alumni build with their fellow UK students and the loyalty they have to the university,” said Smith, who has recently been reappointed to the role under the new Labour government.

Smith believes his reappointment is a signal of the government’s understanding of the importance of building relationships with governments and stakeholders abroad through education.

“I think it’s quite important to say this on behalf of the UK government. Can I just make it absolutely clear that the UK welcomes international students? It hasn’t always sounded as if we do, but we do.”

As Smith, along with the UK government, revisits the UK’s international education strategy, he promised stakeholders gathered at the London event that India will remain “an absolute priority for developing stronger relationships between our two higher education systems, between our students and staff, and above all, between our two peoples”.

The winners of the Achievers Honours will be revealed in February 2025, coinciding with NISAU’s India UK Education Conference.