21st Century India Center Receives First Significant Philanthropic Gift

With the goal of deepening U.S.-India ties and collaboration, the Motwani Jadeja Foundation has donated a significant gift to the University of California San Diego’s 21st Century India Center, which is housed in the School of Global Policy and Strategy.

The gift will establish the Motwani Jadeja India Fellowship, Motwani Jadeja India Leadership Program and India Courses Hub, which will be designed to extend educational topics related to India to broad audiences around the world. 

“UC San Diego’s 21st Century India Center is home to one the most prominent group of India policy experts in the U.S.,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “We are grateful to the Motwani Jadeja Foundation for its support, which will allow the center to expand its research and education impact even further, with the ultimate goal of benefiting the lives of millions in the U.S., India and around the globe.”

Founded by philanthropist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist Asha Jadeja, the Motwani Jadeja Foundation seeks to empower entrepreneurs, academics and policymakers in India, the U.S. and beyond.  The Foundation aims to challenge established thinking and drive innovation, impact and action. Its ultimate goal is to build capabilities that facilitate high-impact social change.

“In the brand-new, unprecedented coming together of the world’s most powerful democracies—the U.S. and India—I expect to see radical new opportunities for growth in innovations that foster peace, prosperity and understanding between nations. Our partnership with UC San Diego is a critical step towards establishing a robust corridor of academic and policy activity between our two nations, which will have a lasting influence on policies related to innovation in technology, defense, climate and development,” said Asha Jadeja, founder of the Motwani Jadeja Foundation.

With support from the Motwani Jadeja Foundation, the 21st Century India Center will develop the Motwani Jadeja India Fellowship, a competitive fellowship program for rising leaders in the U.S. government, military, private sector or media to spend approximately four weeks embedded in a university or think tank setting in India. This program will be offered by the center in collaboration with its academic partners in India.

While in India, the fellows will have the opportunity to collaborate and converse with counterparts in India, as they are immersed in the latest evidence related to their fields of study. Participants will complete a fellowship project with mentorship from UC San Diego and Indian institution counterparts, fostering cross-country networks, collaborations and insights from an Indian perspective on their research.

“This gift will allow the 21st Century India Center at the School of Global Policy and Strategy to create a new generation of thought leaders who can deepen the relationship between the U.S. and India,” said Caroline Freund, dean of the School of Global Policy and Strategy. “It is one of the most significant bilateral relationships globally, driven by mutual interests in areas like security, trade, technology, climate change and democratic values.”

The gift will also establish the Motwani Jadeja India Leadership Program, an executive education program designed to build a deeper understanding of India and drive progress in U.S.-India relations.

This innovative program will be developed by UC San Diego faculty and will target participation by federal and state U.S. government officials, military staff and officers, private sector leaders, journalists and other relevant stakeholders.

Through a combination of virtual and in-person sessions on India led by UC San Diego faculty, participants will engage in traditional and interactive learning experiences, including opportunities to connect with counterparts in India and take part in immersive cultural experiences, fostering meaningful relationships and collaboration.

“We are grateful to the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation for its generous gift, which is the largest that the center has received thus far,” said Achyuta Adhvaryu, director of the 21st Century India Center and Tata Chancellor’s Professor of Economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy. “Through these programs, we aim to build a strong network of leaders in the United States from academia, government, the military, media and beyond, and enable them to create positive impact at scale by connecting them to Indian leaders and organizations, imparting cutting-edge knowledge on India and U.S.-India policy from UC San Diego’s incredible faculty, and providing contextual richness through uniquely tailored experiences in India.”

The gift will also support the creation of an India Courses Hub, which will focus on developing and expanding coursework related to India within UC San Diego, the University of California system and beyond, including massive open online courses (MOOCs). Course topics may include India and U.S.-India economic policy, as well as specialized cross-disciplinary courses focused entirely on India.

This gift from the Motwani Jadeja Foundation is intended to allow the 21st Century India Center to make significant strides between the U.S. and India. To learn more about the Motwani Jadeja Foundation and its work, please visit mjf.world. For more information about the programs and initiatives of the 21st Century India Center, please visit india.ucsd.edu.