New Delhi: The Noida campus of Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow, the first IIM to start an additional campus in the country, will start new initiatives in terms of management education for executives and research activities in the new year. To start with, IIM will introduce a first of its kind International Programme in Management for Executives (IPMX) from April 2010, the programme will be jointly delivered in collaboration with Canada’s McGill University. The B-school will also set up a new venture cell, an incubator for small business and collaborations with international partners. The university is also working with other IIMs on guidelines for the setting up of an IIM campus abroad.

Speaking to Times City about the initiatives, IIM-L director Professor Devi Singh said the IPMX is a fulltime, one-year residential executive programme aimed at professionals working with the finance sector. Singh added: ‘‘McGill University faculty will conduct six months of the programme, the rest will be conducted by us. Students will get two certificates, a master’s degree in finance from McGill University and a postgraduate diploma from IIM-L.’’

To further Noida campus research, consulting and training capacity, the B-school is also setting up an incubator for small businesses, which will be called either the entrepreneurship or the new venture cell. Stating that Noida is better positioned for industry partnership and international collaboration and for innovation in small business, the director said: ‘‘There are certain things which can be done better here. Some programmes such as the executive MBAs are ideally suited for this campus. Similarly, for international collaboration, innovation and research, this campus is ideal and that is one of the focus areas of this campus.’’

With the IIMs getting the nod from the HRD ministry to set up campuses abroad, the IIMs are currently working on the guidelines. ‘‘We have received a few requests from Asian, Middle Eastern and African countries. Two or three of us (IIMs) will get together to set up offshore campuses.

source: TOI