MCES was established with an objective to be a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary platform for European Studies thus going beyond the traditional area studies departments’ mandates. Th basic belief in focusing on interdisciplinarity was that people-to-people contact makes significant difference in the relation between the two regions than political or diplomatic relations alone.

As a natural progression of these activities, a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in India-EU Interdisciplinary Studies – Culture, Literature, Education and Society (CLES) was proposed in the open call of the Eramus+ Programme- Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. With the supporting and funding of the European Union, MCES was awarded with the grant and this recognition in 2018.

The Centre aims to enhance educational connect between India and Europe by generating interest and creating awareness about European people, literature, culture, and society among Indians and stimulate similar response from the Europeans towards Indian culture and philosophy.