'Partnership Between Indian, Australian Varsities Will Help Bolster Knowledge Exchange'

Partnerships between Indian and Australian universities will help bolster exchange of knowledge and skills, an official of the University of Queensland has said.

In 2019, over 800 Indian students enrolled at the University of Queensland, comprising the fifth largest international cohort, Deputy Director International Marketing and Recruitment, University of Queensland, Alison Campbell, said.

She was in the national capital recently and she also spoke to students during an interaction.

"More than half of all Indian students in 2019 are enrolled in the faculties of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology (EAIT) (almost 30 per cent) and Business, Economics and Law (BEL) (23 per cent), Ms Campbell said.

"More than 60 per cent of all Indian students are studying postgraduate coursework programmes, almost 20 per cent are undertaking undergraduate studies," she added.

The University of Queensland currently has 31 formal agreements with 20 universities and institutes in India across a wide range of areas including science, energy, sustainable minerals, agriculture and food, bioengineering and nanotechnology, engineering, architecture and information technology, business, economics and law, political science and music, she said.

Last year, the University of Queensland and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) launched a joint academy of research (UQIDAR) which provides Ph.D students with a qualification from both the institutions.

"Partnerships like the University of Queensland's engagement with IIT-D to establish UQIDAR, seeks to help close the disparity between countries through skills and knowledge exchange, helping to bolster the excellent work already being done in India's quality institutions," she said.