Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Monday directed officials of the Department of Higher Education to take the necessary steps to extend the three-year SCOUT (Scholars for Outstanding Undergraduate Talent) programme beyond its current term.

Under the existing agreement, the programme is set to conclude next year after the third batch of students travels to a U.K.-based university. The second batch of students from five State-run universities is scheduled to leave for the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2026.

SCOUT is a collaborative initiative of the Higher Education Department and the British Council. Launching the SCOUT 2.0 programme for 29 undergraduate students from University of Mysore, Karnataka University, Dharwad, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics, Bengaluru, Davanagere University, Akkamahadevi Women’s University and Bidar University, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar advised the students to develop leadership qualities.

He recalled his 22-day visit to Vienna in 1987 as part of the World Youth Exchange Programme and told the students, “You will be our ambassadors, and travel is an extraordinary experience through which you will learn many things.”

“We are continuing to exchange knowledge and ideas. I thank the British Council for partnering with the Karnataka government in this programme. Karnataka and Bengaluru are talent hubs, and the whole world is looking at us. India is being viewed through Karnataka.

“You should not lose confidence because you come from rural areas. In our time, we had to study hard to access information. Today, information is available at your fingertips. Times have changed to the extent that students often teach teachers themselves. Everyone is capable, and you are all competing at a global level.

“Your thinking under the SCOUT programme should be visionary. There are great expectations from you,” the Chief Minister said.t

The SCOUT programme was not implemented in 2025 due to the lack of a sponsoring university in the United Kingdom. However, following a request from the then Higher Education Minister, M.C. Sudhakar, the British Council agreed to continue the programme in 2026.

Although 31 students were initially selected for the programme, two later withdrew owing to passport-related issues. As a result, 29 students will participate in the current batch.