A day before India and the US unveil an ambitious initiative on education as part of their next phase of strategic partnership, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for scaling up the cooperation between Indian and American university systems.

"We must work harder to strengthen the university system. We have plans to set up 40 new universities. I see enormous opportunities for the university systems of India and the US to work together," Manmohan Singh said after addressing top Indian and American businessmen at the US Chamber of Commerce.