There are dozens of them across Europe already, and they are distributed densely and fairly evenly. Now more of them are beginning to appear, even from outside Europe. We are referring to the partner universities of the UP Faculty of Law. Most recently, thanks to a successful mission by Martin Faix, Vice-Dean for International Affairs, two prestigious universities in India – O.P. Jindal Global University and Symbiosis International University – have joined this network.
“In Asia, we have so far only had partners in Taiwan, especially National Taiwan University, the oldest and most prestigious university on the island. India, the most populous country in the world, struck us as another suitable country for establishing academic contacts,” explained Faix, adding that the faculty always tries to identify schools that are among the best in a given region.
A trip last year to India resulted in a double success. Both universities visited signed a framework cooperation agreement with the Olomouc faculty. “O.P. Jindal Global University, which is the best private university in India and whose law faculty is ranked 72nd in the world, has a large campus in Delhi. Its law faculty alone has five thousand students. Symbiosis Law School has several campuses across India. I had the opportunity to visit one in Delhi and another in Pune, and the law school in Pune is one of the top five in India,” noted Faix. The signed framework agreements allow for the development of cooperation in student and academic exchanges and scientific research.
The agreements are not just a piece of paper – the first results are already starting to materialise. “A student from O.P. Jindal Global University will come for an exchange visit in the winter semester of the next academic year. Then in 2026, we plan a special summer school tailored for Indian students focusing on Central Europe, its path to democracy, and European Union issues. It is however possible that their students will already be involved in the summer schools we are preparing for this year," said Faix, adding that there are always a few spots reserved for ‘domestic’ students at the international summer schools in Olomouc. “We will inform our academic community about the existing opportunities for trips to Indian universities in due course,” added the vice-dean.
Speaking of beyond Europe, law faculty representatives have recently managed to negotiate close cooperation with the aforementioned Taiwanese universities and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. An agreement with the University of Illinois Chicago is on the way. The Olomouc faculty has a very good negotiating position thanks to the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings where it is among the top 300 law schools.