The University of Queensland (UQ) travelled to India in its pursuit of internationalisation through collaborations to meet with educational institutions, the Indian government, and corporate partners. The delegation, led by President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AO and Chancellor Peter N. Varghese AO, discussed partnerships and collaborations that are focused on the National Education Policy (NEP 2020) goal of internationalising India’s higher education sector and strengthening its long-standing ties with India.
In response to questions about the visit, Mr. Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner-South Asia at Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), stated that the relationship between Australia and India in the fields of education, skill development, research, and trade is founded on shared values and is complementary. The top leadership visit from the University of Queensland shows the institution’s dedication to and ambition for India.
He further added that the sort of work UQ is undertaking with the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi (IITD), business partners, and future partnerships they aim to build is wonderful to see. Our goal at Study Queensland (government) is to promote programs that introduce Indian students to the state’s top educational and employment prospects, diverse communities, and ideal lifestyles.
The Queensland Government’s Study Queensland initiative seeks to draw top talent to its educational and training facilities. In celebration of the UQ-IITD Academy of Research, the institutions’ collaborative research effort, UQ spent time with top leadership at IIT Delhi during its visit and welcomed more than 100 Ph.D. applicants.
Vice-Chancellor and President of UQ, Professor Deborah Terry AO, commented on UQ’s meetings with IITD that as a top 50 global university, UQ is serious about forging strong alliances to carry out our educational and research priorities – and for us, alliances don’t get much stronger than those we have in India.
“We sincerely valued the chance to speak with top IITD administrators on the future course of our joint academy of research and how it may be improved to have a significant influence. The UQ-IITD Academy of Research is reshaping the Australia-India research ecosystem and tackling important global concerns, such as world hunger, environmental sustainability, and societal transformation through emerging technologies,” she added.
UQ visited multiple institutions to assess potential collaborations
The delegates also spoke at a panel discussion about women in leadership and their contribution to the creation of the ever evolving world at Lady Shri Ram College for Women. The delegation simultaneously met with representatives from Austrade and the Australian High Commission to talk about the Australian government’s priorities in India.
In order to discuss potential collaborations, UQ also met with business partners Thermax, Dozee, ReNew Power, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and educational partners The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Government of India, Ashoka University, and Shiv Nadar University. During this tour, agreements to formally collaborate were also struck with Sharda University and O.P. Jindal Global University.
Mr. Peter N Varghese AO, Chancellor, UQ said, “Building a deep research partnership between Australia and India is a key part of UQ’s strategy. Together we can achieve so much more than by ourselves. A deeper research partnership will also lift the reputation of Australia’s universities in India. And the research that addresses our respective national challenges has an obvious advantage to both countries.”
Earlier in August 2022, Rongyu Li, deputy vice chancellor for global engagement at UQ, led a senior executive team that visited Asha.
This visit led to the Asha Society India (Asha) and the University of Queensland having inked a contract to support the Asha International Education Program through India Equity Scholarships for students from New Delhi’s marginalised populations.
Three scholarships for postgraduate master’s coursework at UQ will be given as part of the arrangement. Each scholarship will pay the full tuition costs, a $13,000 annual living stipend, on-campus housing and food, international student health insurance, a semester book allowance, and $2,400 for travel to and from Australia.
Rongyu Li said, “these students are driven by a determination to learn that is genuinely inspirational. Access to education has not only changed the lives of these students but has also impacted their wider communities. Through the India Equity Scholarships, we are committed to supporting students like Amritesh Kumar Maurya, who is currently in Brisbane, Australia, studying a Master of International Economics and Finance at UQ”.
