Queen's University, Belfast, recently honoured the former president of India, A P J Abdul Kalam with an honorary Doctorate of Laws for distinction in public service.
Queens vice-chancellor Peter Gregson said, "It is a significant honour for Queen's University to host this visit for the former leader of one of the world's most thriving and exciting countries. Dr. Kalam's visit is a tangible example of the educational, research, business and cultural links between India and
Northern Ireland."
Queen's links with India include student exchanges between the School of English and Hyderabad University under the Prime Minister's Initiative and a research partnership with the National Institute of Immunology, Delhi which focuses on cancer biology and is supported by the Ministry of Biotechnology.
Minister for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey opened a joint international conference in New Delhi in 2007.
And the second conference in this series is scheduled at Queen's in September this year.
Last year Queen's started the East India Water Research Centre in partnership with Bengal Engineering and Science University and India's Institute of Environmental Management and Studies.