Universities in Scotland will form links with India as part of efforts to strengthen ties between the countries, External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop said.
She was speaking in New Delhi at an education conference involving people from government, academia, business and industry.
"The Scottish Government views India as a key trade and investment partner and we are committed to strengthening important business, cultural and educational ties between our two nations," she said.
"In particular, Scotland's expertise in education, financial and business services, energy and healthcare present significant opportunities for Scottish businesses trading in India, one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Supporting the development of India-Scotland business links forms a key component of my visit."
The partnerships involve Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, which will work with the Maharashtra Institute of Technology School of Telecom Management to host Indian postgraduate students in Scotland for part of their diploma.
Dundee University will run a UK-wide work placement programme as part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative, helping graduates to gain work experience in India.
Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh will run a project that will use Scottish academic expertise to support the development of sustainable community-led tourism businesses in rural India.
Following a successful pilot in India, Scottish Investment Operations has launched the Investment Accounting Diploma, the Government said.
Pawan Agarwal, higher education and culture adviser from the Planning Commission of India, said: "The Indian prime minister has declared this as the decade of innovation, and the key to promoting innovation is cross-learning from each other's experiences.
"We at the Planning Commission are engaged in strategic thinking about education and fostering innovation by cross-learning. In this context, this partnership is important and at the heart of our work at the Planning Commission."
