Australia India Institute is in charge of the bilateral programme, which is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education and promotes student exchange between the two nations.
The Australia India Research Students Scholarship for 2023 has been given to more than 60 emerging researchers from Australia and India.
The researchers were awarded Fellowships of up to AUD $10,000. 28 Australian and 35 Indian research students and early-career researchers make up the varied group, and 59% of them are female.
More than 500 applications were submitted through the Australian Researcher Collaboration Hub-India, according to Lisa Singh, CEO of the Australia India Institute, making the selection process extremely competitive.
Singh said, “We are thrilled to have such a talented group of individuals joining the AIRS Fellowship program this year and look forward to supporting their professional development.”
“These Fellows are the next generation of research leaders in Australia and India, and we are excited to see the results of these new collaborations. It is through opportunities like this unique program that Australia and India can continue to learn from each other’s quality research and drive global social and scientific advancement,” he added.
The Fellowships are a component of the action plan to improve bilateral relationships in the fields of education and research under the Update to the India Economic Strategy to 2035.
37 Indian higher education institutions will work with 22 Australian universities on the programme.
Fellows will engage in four to eight-week-long short-term research exchanges while collaborating with a host research mentor on a variety of important subjects. Here’s a list of Indian researchers facilitated.
| FELLOW | HOME INSTITUTION | HOST INSTITUTION |
| Mr Anubhav Elhence | Birla Institute of Science and Technology Pilani | La Trobe University |
| Mr Anudeep Tullibilli | Indian Institute of Science | University of New South Wales |
| Dr Anwesha Ghosh | Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata | Griffith University |
| Mr Bharath Rathinam | National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-sciences | University of Melbourne |
| Ms Bushra Ansari | Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi | Macquarie University |
| Mr Hasan Iqbal | Aligarh Muslim University | Edith Cowan University |
| Mr Ishan Phansalkar | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | Monash University |
| Ms Ishita Bardhan | Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad | Swinburne University of Technology |
| Ms Jyoti Arora | Jawaharlal Nehru University | University of Melbourne |
| Mr Krishan Takhar | Jawaharlal Nehru University | University of Queensland |
| Mr Kushagra Sharan | Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode | University of Wollongong |
| Ms Lorane Scaria | Rajagiri College of Social Sciences | University of Melbourne |
| Mr Manideep Roy | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | University of Melbourne |
| Ms Mansi | Indian Institute of Public Health | University of Melbourne |
| Ms Namrata Godambe | Tata Institute of Social Sciences | University of Sydney |
| Miss Neha Wadhwa | Delhi University | University of Wollongong |
| Mr Nitish Kumar | Indian Institute of Technology Delhi | Macquarie University |
| Dr Padmakumar K | Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal | Deakin University |
| Mrs Pooja Chand | Kumaun University | Australian National University |
| Ms Pranaya | Aligarh Muslim University | University of Technology Sydney |
| Dr Priyanka Sharma | Institute of Nano Science and Technology | University of Queensland |
| Ms Rahee S. G. | Jawaharlal Nehru University | University of Melbourne |
| Dr Rajendra Sangaraju | Indian Council of Medical Research | RMIT |
| Mr Ramengmawia Bawitlung | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | University of Melbourne |
| Ms Roonaq un Nisa | Tata Institute of Social Sciences | Monash University |
| Mr Sanjeev Kumar Varun | Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee | University of Technology Sydney |
| Mrs Shreelakshmi Kaniyar Prasanna Kumar | Indian Institute of Science | RMIT |
| Mr Shubham Vishwakarma | Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati | University of Melbourne |
| Ms Sipra Hota | Indian Institute of Astrophysics | Macquarie University |
| Ms Srijani Nag | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | La Trobe University |
| Ms Sugandh Pargal | Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur | University of New South Wales |
| Mr Sujit Chauhan | Indian Institute of Technology Bombay | University of Western Australia |
| Mr Vineet Arora | Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur | La Trobe University |
| Mrs Wilma Serrao | Manipal Academy of Higher Education | Deakin University |
| Mr Yagya Narayan | Indian Institute of Technology BombayCurtin University | Curtin University |
The future of the bilateral relationship is envisioned with education as its flagship industry, and partnerships in research and innovation will be essential to bringing this vision to fruition.
Recent years have seen considerable growth in research cooperation between the two nations, and there is still room to grow academic alliances for better results.
As COVID-19 put many international exchange programmes on hold, “The AIRS Fellowship program is set to deepen research connections and boost student mobility.”
“By working together, we can leverage the expertise and resources of both nations to achieve greater progress on shared challenges than we would be able to on our own,” added Singh.
The AIRS Fellowship programme was suggested jointly at the fifth Australia India Education Council meeting in Delhi in November 2019.
The sixth Australia India Education Council meeting, co-chaired by Australian Education Minister The Hon Jason Clare and Indian Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship The Hon Dharmendra Pradhan, was held in August 2022.
