Top Australian university to set up campus in India
NEW DELHI: In a major boost to bilateral cooperation in education, research and skilling, India and Australia on Monday announced a fresh set of collaborative initiatives at the third AustraliaIndia Education and Skills Council (AIESC) meeting held in New Delhi. The Ministry of Education said that under the SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) programme, Rs 9.84 crore has been sanctioned for 10 new joint research projects with top Australian universities in areas including advanced computing, energy, sustainability and climate, healthcare and MedTech, and space and defence. One of the key highlights was the Letter of Intent handed to the University of New South Wales (UNSW) ranked 20th globally to establish a campus in India under the UGCs 2023 regulations for foreign higher educational institutions. UNSW will become the seventh Australian university to set up operations in India. Earlier this year, LoIs were issued to La Trobe University, Victoria University, Western Sydney University and the University of Western Australia. The meeting was attended by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar, Australian Education Minister Jason Clare, Skills & Training Minister Andrew Giles, and Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill, among senior officials and MPs from both sides. Expanding collaboration across sectors The two countries exchanged MoUs covering agritech innovation, marine sciences, teacher training and professional development, disaster resilience, global job readiness, mining, and priority skill development sectors. Collaboration in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and teacher training will also be strengthened through CBSE, NCTE and Australian counterparts. The AIESC reviewed ongoing cooperation in school education, higher education, research and skilling, and reaffirmed plans to deepen institutional linkages, widen mobility pathways and enhance regulatory coordination. Pradhan said the meeting served as a great opportunity to build upon progress since the inaugural AIESC, break new ground in the AustraliaIndia education and skills partnership, and open wider avenues for Indias youth. He emphasised cooperation in AI, advanced materials, semiconductors, MedTech, energy, sustainability, technology adoption, sports education and innovative skilling models. A major agenda point was integrating sports curriculum into school and higher education. Pradhan said this marks the beginning of a wide-ranging partnership in sports, and suggested joint hackathons at school and university levels. Win-win partnership Australian Education Minister Jason Clare described the collaboration as a win-win, adding, There is no such partnership with any other country in the field of education and skill development. This shows deep trust between India and Australia. Minister for Skills & Training Andrew Giles said expanding Australias footprint in India was another significant step forward, while Assistant Minister Julian Hill said UNSWs India campus underlined the strength of the AustraliaIndia education relationship. Highlighting achievements under the Mutual Recognition of Qualifications 2023 and the dedicated Skills Mapping Framework, Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary said sectors such as agriculture have already created mobility pathways using recognised qualifications, and urged replication across emerging domains. He also stressed the importance of youth-focused cooperation, especially with major sporting events coming up in both countries. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also held bilateral meetings with his Australian counterparts to review cooperation from pre-school to PhD, including research, innovation and faculty exchanges. He underscored Indias priority of fostering critical thinking in students and preparing an AI-ready generation. The release said the fourth AIESC meeting will be held in Australia, with both sides agreeing to set clear timelines for delivering more tangible outcomes.
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