The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru and the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) have decided to collaborate to pave for internship opportunities for students and increase awareness of international arbitration practices.

To this end, the Vice Chancellor of NLSIU, Dr. Sudhir Krishnaswamy and Chief Executive Officer of SIAC, Gloria Lim signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on January 5 during a virtual ceremony.

The signing was attended by Shwetha Bidhuri, Director & Head (South Asia), SIAC; Steffi Mary Punnose, Strategy & Development Manager (South Asia), SIAC; Prof. (Dr.) Nigam Nuggehalli, Registrar, NLSIU and Dr Harisankar K Sathyapalan, Associate Professor of Law & Chair Professor-in-Charge of the DC Singhania Chair on ADR at NLSIU.

Under the MOU, SIAC and NLSIU will work together to place law students of NLSIU in internships at SIAC and collaborate to incorporate a module on “SIAC and Institutional Arbitration” into NLSIU’s law programme.

Both parties will also explore the possibility of developing and/ or conducting joint training programmes, annual lecture, seminars, and other events in India to promote the development and practice of international arbitration.

Commenting on the development, Prof (Dr) Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Vice Chancellor, NLSIU said,

“The SIAC has anchored the development of Singapore as a key centre for the law and practice of international arbitration. As India aims to establish itself as a hub of international arbitration, NLSIU will take the lead in developing the academic and training programmes necessary for India’s success in this endeavour. This collaboration with the SIAC will help us bring international best standards and best practices to the Indian legal environment, jointly promote the development of international commercial dispute resolution mechanisms, and foster an international perspective in the next generation of arbitration practitioners.”

Gloria Lim, CEO of SIAC, said,

“SIAC is pleased to be collaborating with NLSIU to provide internship opportunities to law students and to jointly develop programmes that will provide useful exposure to the practice of international arbitration. We believe that such efforts serve to support the development and nurture of the next generation of arbitration practitioners and look forward to partnering with NLSIU on this initiative.”