NZ-India academic partnerships boosted through IIT Delhi NZ Centre

New Zealand’s education ties with India have been strengthened by a New Zealand university-led academic workshop at IIT Delhi, culminating today with a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a New Zealand Centre at the IIT. The New Zealand Centre will be a focal point of academic activity for all eight New Zealand Universities and IIT Delhi.

The two-day workshop, held at IIT Delhi, provided an opportunity for academics from NZ universities and IIT Delhi to discuss and develop projects for long term research collaboration. Collaboration priorities under discussion include sustainable cities, technologies for clean water, cyber security and data science, energy and environmental studies, and advanced biological and healthcare systems and engineering.

Professor Jennifer Dixon, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Engagement), University of Auckland led the New Zealand delegation and spoke at the MoU signing, “This is a significant step in New Zealand’s long-term education relationship with India. We are delighted to be engaging with IIT Delhi as the ideal partner to progress our research collaborations,” she said. “We are dedicated to creating future global citizens and we look forward to the development of leading-edge research through the association.”

It is expected that the Centre will host visiting researchers and academics, act as a forum for diplomatic and trade dialogue among different sectors, and support student mobility.

John Laxon, Education New Zealand’s Regional Director Asia, said that the New Zealand Centre would be a one-of-a-kind research establishment. “A research-focused New Zealand Centre at IIT Delhi builds on New Zealand’s status as the preferred education destination for students, with a 71 per cent increase in Indian students choosing to study in New Zealand universities in 2019. We are committed to strengthening the research and education ties between New Zealand and India, and are excited to be partnering with a prestigious institution in IIT Delhi.”

Prof. Sanjeev Sanghi, Dean – Alumni Affairs and International Programmes, said IIT Delhi was committed to quality education for students and pleased to be associated with New Zealand. “The New Zealand Centre embodies our efforts to embrace internationalization, open up opportunities for new research collaborations and increase global exposure for our students. We look forward to collaborating more with universities from New Zealand.”

All eight New Zealand universities feature in the top 3% worldwide by the QS World Rankings. The participating universities include: The University of Auckland, AUT University, Massey University, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Waikato, Lincoln University, University of Canterbury and University of Otago.