Relationship With India A Top Priority For The University Of Queensland

The University of Queensland (UQ) identifies India as an integral market for research collaboration, corporate partnership, and student mobility. UQ’s profile and partnerships in India continue to grow, bolstering a long-term, sustainable bilateral relationship that delivers impact and assists India in meeting an increasing demand for quality education. 

Education is Australia’s second-largest export to India, with Indian students recognising the high quality and cost competitiveness of Australian education services. More than 65,300 Indian students studied in Australia in 2018 – an increase of 23.4 per cent from 2016 and up 328.2 per cent since 2012. 

According to the Reserve Bank of India, more Indian students are now going abroad to pursue higher education. Spending on tuition and hostel fees by Indians studying abroad has increased by 33 per cent from $1.9 billion in 2013-2014 to $2.8 billion in 2017-2018. 

In the 2018 report An India Economic Strategy to 2035, formulated by UQ Chancellor Peter N Varghese AO, it was stated there is no sector with greater promise for Australia in India than education. “Getting education right is critical for India to maximise the potential of its demographic dividend by ensuring its millions of young people are equipped to enter the workforce and able to adjust to rapid technological change.” 

UQ shares a long and valued relationship with India, strengthened by decades of academic and industry partnerships and student mobility opportunities. 

Dr Jessica Gallagher, Director of Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship at UQ said, “UQ has identified India as a priority country to strategically engage with under the University’s Global Strategy (2018-2021). For sustainable growth and success, we aim to operate with an overarching, holistic and long-term strategy that aligns the University with Indian government, academia and industry, and supports PhD and collaborative research with strategic partners.”

In 2018 UQ and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi established a joint Academy of Research (UQIDAR) that enables students and academics to work together to address issues affecting India, Australia and global communities. Open to all disciplines, students gain a global qualification from both UQ and IITD. The second cohort of UQIDAR Ph.D. students are due to commence in January 2020 at IIT Delhi.

Commenting on UQIDAR, UQ Vice-Chancellor and President, Peter Høj said, “In time, we hope prominent research institutes in and around New Delhi will join the Academy as associate and industry partners, so we can continue to expand internationally relevant research in diverse areas such as medicine, economics, agriculture and the humanities.”

UQ is a global top 50 university and a popular study destination for Indian students. In 2018 there were 732 Indian students enrolled at UQ with student numbers increasing 42.4 per cent since 2017, representing one of the largest international cohorts at the University.  

Ties between UQ and India are further strengthened by 723 UQ alumni in India, over 80 academic staff born in India, and over A$5.8m awarded to UQ through the Australian Government’s Australia-India Strategic Research Fund for research projects in nanotechnology, agriculture and food and water security, to name a few.

While the majority of Indian students at UQ are currently enrolled in postgraduate coursework programs, there has been consistent growth in undergraduate commencements in recent years. Enrolments are predominantly across Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, Business, Economics and Law, and Science. 

Indian students are part of a thriving student community at UQ, joining student clubs and societies that assist with settling in and making friends. The Indian Student Club is a thriving student group established to support the University’s Indian community and to celebrate Indian culture with festivals, movie nights, and the South Asia Cricket Cup.