Five students from the Bachelor of Business Administration in Digital Business and Entrepreneurship (BBA-DBE) programme at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore(IIMB) have been selected for a fully-funded two-week international immersion at Hiroshima University in Japan, under the AGILE COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) initiative.

The selected students — Shreya Jain, Dhruv Deepak Bagla, Garv Agarwal, Parinistaa Sugandhi, and Arin Prakash — will engage in collaborative learning with peers from partner universities, and leverage technology, innovation, entrepreneurial and leadership skills to deliberate on real-world issues, such as Urban Planning, Internet of Thing (IoT), Waste Management, Renewable Energy and Climate Resilience.

BBA(DBE) aims to prepare future-ready entrepreneurs through an industry-relevant, modular, and fully online learning model. The programme attracted over 1,000 students from 359 cities nationwide in its first year.

The curriculum, which was designed in collaboration with academic and industry experts, combines foundational business education with cutting-edge skill development, immersive projects, and global exposure – making it the first initiative of its kind in India where undergraduate students in a fully online degree programme participate in an international immersion of this scale.

The AGILE COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) initiative, delivered in partnership with Hiroshima University and supported by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), fosters cross-cultural collaboration, leadership, and global citizenship among learners from Japan and India. Since 2024–25, IIMB’s BBA(DBE) students have been participating virtually in the AGILE COIL Module 4 entrepreneurship programme, receiving international academic mentorship and a digital badge from Hiroshima University upon completion of the module. The September 2025 immersion will be the first in-person component for select high-performing students, with all travel, stay, and internal expenses covered by the Japanese government.

“Being part of IIMB means upholding values like innovation, critical thinking, and inclusivity. I believe these qualities mesh well with Hiroshima University’s global vision for the future,” said Parinistaa Sugandhi on what excites her most about representing IIMB at Hiroshima University.

Shreya Jain said, “I’m interested to learn how different cultural contexts shape approaches to leadership, decision-making, and innovation, and to exchange ideas that challenge my own assumptions.”