The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, recently announced the launch of a research and publication section at its Kolkata library, reinforcing its commitment to advancing research and knowledge-sharing in the fields of arts, culture, and education. The dedicated space was officially inaugurated by Prof Nimai Chandra Saha, Director of Public Instructions, Education Department, Government of West Bengal.
After the inauguration, a panel discussion took place on “From Evidence to Impact: How Research in Culture, Arts, and Education is Shaping Our Future”. Bringing together thought leaders from academia, healthcare and cultural sectors, the discussion explored the role of evidence-based research in shaping policies, driving meaningful societal change, and advancing educational and cultural development.
Chaired by Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director British Council, East and Northeast India, the panel featured Dr Swati Guha, Director, Institute for Language Studies and Research (ILSR); Sohini Chakraborty, Secretary and Founder Director of Kolkata Sanved; Dr Amit Ghose, Urologist, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata, and lead of the medical council of IBSA (Indo British Scholars’ Association) and Prof Amlan Chakrabarti, Professor and Director, A.K. Choudhury School of Information Technology, University of Calcutta, an expert on quantum computing and AI.
Mr Binod Kuma, IAS, Principal Secretary of Education, Government of West Bengal, said, “I am delighted that British Council library, which plays such an important role in the lives of students of all ages in Kolkata, is launching a section dedicated to research. West Bengal is one of the most important centres of science and humanities research, not just in India but the whole world. And we have an excellent track record of collaboration in research with UK universities through British Council’s initiatives like Going Global Partnerships and UKIERI, and in English language learning and teacher education at the school level through Ujjiban Charcha.”
In an era where evidence-based research is driving global transformation, British Council’s Research Corner initiative aims to showcase how academic inquiry leads to real-world impact.
Dr Debanjan Chakrabarti, who is also one of the South Asia Research Champions of the British Council, said, “The launch of this research and publication section is an important step to spotlight all the research the British Council does across arts, English and education, and how that drives the work that we do. Kolkata has been recently recognised as India’s top city for scientific research in the latest Nature Index and this space is a modest celebration of the city’s intellectual ethos. Our work in research across the globe fosters collaboration and helps researchers, educators, policymakers, and cultural practitioners drive meaningful progress in education, creativity and social development.”
The Research and Publication section houses a wide range of influential research reports, offering valuable insights into language education, creative industries and sustainability. Key reports include:
English & Education Research Reports
- Future of English, Ongoing (Details)
- MultiLila research, 2016-2020 (Details)
- Creating more inclusive schooling, 2024 (Details)
- Global priorities for enhancing school-based climate change and sustainability education, 2023 (Details)
Arts & Creative Economy Reports
- Mapping the Creative Economy around Durga Puja in West Bengal, 2021 (Details)
- Taking the Temperature, March 2020 – November 2021 (Details)
- Reimagining the Craft Economy post Covid 19, October 2021 (Details)
- India Literature and Publishing Sector Study, December 2020 – May 2021 (Details)
- The Art of the Possible, 2021, National Centre for the Performing Arts and Art X
- Creative Economy of UK Film Industry, 2022
- Creative Economy Roadmap for Bengal, 2022
Research reports are also available on the British Council’s digital library. Additionally, the digital library offers access to JSTOR, a premier research database featuring the latest publications across diverse subject areas from around the world. The British Council Research and Publications available on the digital library have an audience of 150K+ and are being widely used amongst schoolteachers and research scholars.
