The impact of the EU Development Policy in Indian Higher Education: the EDUREFOM Project and the socio-economic impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a case study

The fourth industrial revolution is expected to deeply affect the Indian socio-economic trends. Higher education is gradually acquiring significance in the agenda of development and cooperation policies. In the last decade, the European Union has supported Indian higher education institutions to enhance their role in the development of the country. The Erasmus+ has been revised to intertwine the internal and external dimensions, embedding goals related to social, political and economic spheres. To pursue this goal, under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education action, the EU has allowed Indian universities to ideate and develop projects addressing local needs and global challenges. Through case study and participant observation, the article assesses the EU's action in India for cooperation development initiatives engaging the Indian higher education sector. The research findings have been instrumental in delivering targeted recommendations to European policymakers to enhance the impact of the EU developmental cooperation policy in India and the EU-India relations tout court.