Kerala to Launch Scholar Connect Platform for Global Link

• Kerala launches Scholar Connect platform to connect global academic diaspora with state higher education institutions.
• Portal enables mentorship research collaboration curriculum development and knowledge exchange through virtual engagement.
• Initiative aims to strengthen higher education quality by leveraging expertise of Kerala-origin scholars worldwide.

The Kerala government is initiating a new digital system which they named 'Scholar Connect' to create better academic links between state universities and Keralite researchers who study in foreign countries.

The official launch of the portal will take place on February 11, 2026 when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present it at a ceremony in the Government College for Women Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) designed this project to establish permanent academic resources which will benefit the educational system of Kerala through its global academic diaspora.

Scholar Connect is the first platform in India to institutionalise diaspora academic engagement through a dedicated online space.

The platform offers universities and colleges in Kerala a central digital hub which enables them to connect with experienced academicians and researchers who work in various research institutions across the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, and the UAE among other countries.

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The portal will support both virtual and in-person collaboration which enables global scholars to contribute their work from any location around the world.

The portal main function includes its Virtual Mentorship module which enables faculty members to define their academic and research requirements through various requests such as syllabus benchmarking and grant writing and research methodology support and curriculum development and internationalisation strategies.

The registered diaspora scholars can respond according to their available expertise which creates a demand-driven engagement model that focuses on achieving specific impacts.

The platform is guided by an international Advisory Board of academic leaders from prominent institutions worldwide, with a local Administrative Advisory Board in Kerala ensuring policy alignment.

Scholar Connect, which builds upon KSHEC's previous Brain Gain program, intends to function as a model for international academic partnerships, which will later develop into student exchange programs, dual degree programs, credit transfer systems, and worldwide research partnerships.