Adding research punch to Australian dream

With the number of Indian students going to Australia for higher education registering a seven-year high in 2017, the Australian universities are going all out to increase their footprint in India. As many as 70,000 students were studying in Australian universities and colleges in 2017 — almost 15 per cent higher than in 2016.

A delegation from one of Australia’s leading teaching and research universities, The University of Queensland (UQ), visited India last month to meet potential students and to showcase the range of courses and activities on offer to international students, including student exchanges and English language programmes. 

“By expanding our partnerships in India, and increasing scholarship opportunities, we aim to support more students to broaden their horizons and to study at a university ranked among the world’s top 50,” said Australian High Commissioner to India, Peter Varghese.  

As a part of the visit, the university also launched a flagship Academy of Research at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi. In an interaction with J&C Dr Jessica Gallagher, Director, Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship, University of Queensland, shares the salient features of the partnership with IITD. Excerpts: 

How is the recent partnership with IIT Delhi going to benefit students?

The joint Academy of Research (UQIDAR) will pave the way for students and academics to partner on projects addressing some of the most pressing issues affecting India, Australia and global communities.

Supported by generous scholarship opportunities, the Academy of Research encourages students from India and Australia to take advantage of each other’s world-class facilities and resources, and to develop culturally diverse research networks. Open to all disciplines, the partnership will enable students to gain a global qualification from both IITD and UQ in four years. 

Students will benefit from access to global expertise through dual supervision by UQ and IITD researchers. Links with industry will also give students direct access to employment opportunities with global sponsors.  

Which are the most in-demand courses among Indian students applying to UQ?

Indian students make up one of the largest international cohorts at UQ, with engineering, business and commerce among the most popular programmes. The UQ Indian Student Club is one of many thriving student groups set up to support the University’s Indian community and to celebrate Indian culture with festivals, movie nights, and the South Asia Cricket Cup.

How UQ will help Indian students broaden their horizons vis-a-vis entrepreneurship and research?

The UQIDAR enables Indian students to experience UQ, a university ranked among the world’s top 50. The university’s teachers share a passion for excellence in education, and its research is finding solutions to globally relevant issues, such as food security, sustainable energy and public health. There’s also the benefit of being connected with industry leaders from UQ's global, national and local partnerships. 

Both industry and academia stand to benefit from long-term cooperation. Students will benefit from a stream of advances in life sciences, biomedical engineering, communications, environmental sciences, artificial intelligence, and more. 

As the skills needed for students to be career-ready are constantly changing, universities and corporations are increasingly seeking out new partnerships to better prepare students for the 21st century economy. By working more closely with the corporate sector, higher-education institutions will continue to develop a deeper understanding of market needs, create more compatible course offerings, and better prepare graduates for success.

What makes India a key focus area for Australian universities like UQ? 

Earlier in the year, UQ Chancellor Peter Varghese AO called for education to be a flagship sector as Australia seeks to lift trade and investment ties with India. Varghese, the former Australian High Commissioner to India, made the call in his An India Economic Strategy to 2035 report, released by the Australian Government in July. It contains 90 recommendations to transform Australia’s relationship with India and take the economic partnership to a new level.

UQ has been awarded more than $5.8 million from the Australian government’s Australia-India Strategic Research Fund for work with Indian institutions in agriculture, food and water security, biotechnology, vaccine development, information technology, and optoelectronics. 

—As told to Geetu Vaid