"The old joke was that you couldn't become a CEO in America if you were Indian. Now the joke is that you can't become a CEO in America if you are not Indian."

When former U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said this at the 2024 Indiaspora AI Summit at Stanford University, he was highlighting the remarkable rise of Indians in global leadership. Today, Indian-origin professionals lead some of the world's biggest companies. According to Newsweek, as of July 2025, at least 11 Fortune 500 companies are headed by Indian-origin CEOs. Together, these companies have a market value of more than $6.5 trillion. Indians also hold other top positions, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, at some of the world's most respected corporations.

The same success is evident in higher education. Indian scholars have been entrusted with some of the highest academic positions at globally renowned universities. Leaders such as Rakesh Khurana, who served as Dean of Harvard College, and many others at institutions like Duke University, Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, Northwestern University, and the University of Pennsylvania have earned immense respect for their academic excellence and leadership. Many countries also invest in talented international students, including large numbers of Indians, through scholarships funded by public resources, university endowments, or generally by the hosting country. They see education as an investment in research, innovation, and future leadership.

These achievements reflect a broader reality that  Indian talent, hard work, and leadership are respected across the world. The growing number of Indians leading global companies and world-class universities is a testament to the trust they have earned through merit, dedication, and excellence.

Now, the question we must ask ourselves is: despite having so much talent, why do we continue to fall short of making our universities a consistent presence in the global top 100 rankings? India's IITs excel nationally; why do they still struggle to secure a place among the world's top 100 universities? After benefiting from world-class education subsidized by Indian taxpayers, many of the brightest IIT graduates head to the United States. Why does India continue to lose its finest talent?

A major reason is the gap in both the quantity and quality of research compared with the world's leading universities. Funding is another critical challenge. Top universities in the US and the UK invest billions of dollars in research every year, while even India's premier institutions, such as the IITs, operate with far smaller budgets. Limited funding makes it harder to attract world-class faculty, build cutting-edge research facilities, and produce breakthrough innovations.

It is also no coincidence that most of the world's top-ranked universities are located in the strongest economies. Institutions such as MIT, Stanford, and the University of Oxford not only reflect their nations' wealth but also help create it through research, innovation, and skilled talent. This brings us back to a timeless question: Does economic strength create great universities, or do great universities create economic strength? Yes, High-quality research attracts research and researchers, and of course it’s an investment.

The Indian education system is largely built around standardised examinations, textbook learning, and theoretical knowledge. Assessment is mostly exam-based. In contrast, many leading international universities follow a more flexible approach, with continuous assessment, coursework, projects, and practical learning.

Despite this, students from the Indian curriculum often perform exceptionally well at top international universities because of their strong analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, in today's competitive world, academic excellence alone is not enough. Universities and employers also value communication skills, leadership, adaptability, teamwork, creativity, and emotional intelligence.

Another advantage of the world's top universities is their ability to attract renowned faculty and researchers. They also enjoy greater academic freedom, while many Indian universities remain bound by government regulations that influence important decisions, including curriculum design and faculty appointments. Giving institutions this flexibility will help them innovate, compete globally, and improve their standing in world university rankings. Although Indian universities have made progress by welcoming more international students and building partnerships with foreign institutions, they still have a long way to go in improving the global impact of their research.

The Government of India has taken several important steps to improve higher education and increase funding for research. The Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme, with a corpus of ₹1 lakh crore, has the potential to be a game changer. It can encourage cutting-edge research and accelerate growth in emerging and future-focused sectors.

In 2026, Indian students are no longer blindly choosing to study abroad. They are making well-informed decisions based on affordability, career opportunities, and long-term financial security. A foreign degree is no longer seen as a status symbol but as a major investment. Students now look for a clear return on investment (ROI), considering tuition fees, living costs, post-study work opportunities, and future earning potential. For decades, countries like the US and the UK have attracted the world's brightest students, who have contributed talent, ideas, research, innovation, and billions of dollars to their economies. Today, many Indian students are exploring more affordable alternatives that offer comparable education and better value for money in other countries than in the traditional U.K. and U.S.A. over their home country. To help reverse the long-standing brain drain from India, the Narendra Modi government has launched focused initiatives to attract Indian talent back home. It is encouraging researchers, scientists, technologists, and professionals of Indian origin who are working at leading universities, laboratories, and research institutions around the world to collaborate with India's top government higher education institutions (HEIs), national laboratories, and research centres. The aim is to strengthen research, innovation, and knowledge-sharing in India. With research reforms, better funding, and greater academic freedom. India has the potential to become a global hub for innovation and scientific excellence.