Australia-India partnership for nurturing global success – Times of India

The India-Australia relationship is at an all-time high. The pace and scale of our cooperation has been grown swiftly since our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was agreed in 2020. The recent Summit between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, on March 21 called for a new level of ambition to drive our cooperation forward, particularly when it comes to our economic cooperation. And education is a sector which holds great potential.

At the Summit, Prime Ministers announced a Taskforce on Education Qualifications Recognition. This taskforce will address the recognition of different delivery modes including online and blended learning, joint degrees, and education at offshore campuses. The taskforce will deliver a mechanism for expanding education qualification recognition between Australia and India by the end of the year, with implementation to take place in 2023.

Education ties


Since the early 2000s, Australia has become a destination of choice for Indian students pursuing higher education internationally. In 2019, 115,000 Indian students were studying in Australia and Indians are one of the largest proportion of migrants who call Australia home. Many Indians are working in vital positions in Australian industry, academia, and government. And thousands of Indians who studied in Australia have gone on to develop successful global careers.

Australian education is in the top tier of demand globally, due to its high quality, strict accreditation standards, sophisticated support for international students, relevant curriculum and one of the highest graduate employability rates, all delivering a better return on investment for the student. Australia has one of the most supportive international education systems in the world. The Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-2030 puts the student experience, student protection and students’ rights at the centre.

Australia also offers attractive post-study work rights to international students. Recently, Australian Trade and Investment Commission has launched SAIEP (Study Australia Industry Immersion Program) for current Indian students at Australian universities to enhance their employability skills.

Under the transnational education system, Australian and Indian universities are developing models for Indian students to start their study in India and then after a few years move to an Australian campus with an option to graduate with a degree from either institution.

Research collaborations

Australia has reputed research and innovation institutes. The country is responsible for 2.7% of the world’s scientific output, while being home to only 0.34% of the world’s population, two thirds of this research is at or above world standard. It has delivered key global innovation breakthroughs: including Wi-Fi and Penicillin – both were invented by Australian researchers.

Australia has world-class capabilities in conducting research in Energy, Food, Agriculture, Digital Health. During the pandemic, Australian pharma and biomedical sector supported by its universities’ strong interdisciplinary focus has helped in solving complex problems.

The education and research relationship between Australia and India is based on shared values and aligned capabilities. While both countries are knowledge-based economies, further commonalities in how education and research is conducted, similar challenges and a focus on solving issues with societal relevance has kept the engagement tighter to future needs.

There are numerous partnerships between Indian and Australian institutions which are adding real value to industry output. The research relationship between both countries is focussed on STEM, Healthcare and Management. The most important part of the research engagement is in the advances made in knowledge transfer, high technology applications and development of a trans-national education ecosystem.

Australian universities have strong engagement with Indian universities to jointly develop world-class capabilities. For example, IIT Bombay and Monash University established a joint research academy in 2008, it focusses on research in Advance Computational Engineering, Infrastructural Engineering, Clean energy, Water, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Stem cell research, Humanities, Social Sciences and Design. In 2018, IIT Delhi and the University of Queensland launched joint research academy called UQIDAR, which has quickly ramped up to the enrolment of about 100 PhD students who are conducting research to solve issues faced by industry with particular focus on Health, Agriculture, Environment, Technology and Social Sciences. Through this academy, IIT Delhi and University of Queensland are focussing on areas of strategic importance to India and are coaching students to develop entrepreneurial skills in deep tech. University of Melbourne – another reputed Australian university – has developed significant academic and commercial partnerships in India in ICT (Data Analytics) and Biomedical research.

Partnerships between both countries are destined to grow due to shared priorities. Indian IT giant HCL – which has operations in Australia has commended Australian universities on their research capabilities to make technology work in different sectors of economy. Senior education and industry leaders in both countries see exponential growth in collaborative translational research. The opportunity for collaboration is very real, both countries are working together to enhance education and research outcomes with clear benefits for the people, businesses, and society.

(The author is Director Trade and Investment, Australian Trade and Investment Commission)