The President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, attended the inauguration of the Tagore Chair on Indian Studies at Lausanne University on October 4, 2011. The MoU establishing the Chair was signed by the Ambassador of India to the Swiss Confederation, Ms. Chitra Narayanan and the Rector of Lausanne University, Prof. Dominique Arlettaz. Founded in 1537, the University of Lausanne is composed of seven faculties where approximately 12,400 students and 2,300 researchers work and study. Emphasis is placed on an interdisciplinary approach, with close cooperation between students, professors and teaching staff.