University of Tokyo India office director Hiroshi Yoshino and (right) Super 30 founder Anand Kumar in Patna. Picture by Jai Prakash

Foreign shores are beckoning Super 30 students.

The institute, a brainchild of city-based mathematician Anand Kumar, has struck an international tie-up with the Global 30 project of Japan government.

The Japan government selected 13 universities as members of the Global 30 project. These varsities aim to nurture competent individuals by creating an academic environment where international and Japanese students can learn from one another and build lasting international bonds.

The University of Tokyo, one of the 13 Japanese member universities under the Global 30 project, has offered to support the students of Super 30 for studying in Japan through scholarships. In October 2013, the university would give scholarship to one of the Super 30 passouts. Hiroshi Yoshino, the director of the India office of the University of Tokyo, held a meeting with Anand Kumar in this regard at the latter’s Patna residence on Wednesday.

“At present, the number of foreign students studying in Japan is 1.4 lakh. The Japan government wants to increase the number to 30 lakh by 2020 through the Global 30 project. Though Indian students are highly talented, hardly 600 of them study in Japan. To achieve the target of the Global 30 programme, the University of Tokyo intends to get a few of the best students from India. I have come to meet Anand Kumar to tell him about the courses that the University of Tokyo offers and request him to motivate his students to study in Japan,” said Yoshino.

Anand seemed upbeat about the first international tie-up of Super 30. “This is a great achievement for Super 30. I am happy that a student from weak financial background would be able to study in Japan and get acquainted with the latest happenings in the field of science and technology. Super 30 would support its student in applying for the entrance examinations of Japanese universities,” said Anand.

Elaborating on the process of providing scholarship, Yoshino said: “We would offer scholarship to one Super 30 student whose score is the highest among his/her institute peers in the admission exams to Japanese universities. The exam will be held in October 2013. CGC Japan Co., Ltd sponsors the scholarship. Interested students need to apply for the admission test themselves and clear it. We do not have any role in getting the student admitted to any of the Japanese universities. The student’s score would help determine full/partial scholarship.”

Yoshino said the full scholarship would be around US $30,000, approximately equal to a foreign student’s annual expenditure on tuition fees, accommodation, food and other necessities in Japan.