Delegation from The University of Queensland (UQ) visits India to strengthen ties and promote student scholarships
The University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry and Chancellor Peter Varghese recently travelled to India to promote the scholarships offered by UQ to high achieving Indian students and meet with partners in Delhi and Bangalore.
The delegation from UQ announced that The University of Queensland India High Achievers Scholarship, to the value of 20% of total program tuition fees, is open to eligible Indian students who enrol in a range of full-time programs. For example, a student undertaking a four-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) may receive a tuition fee reduction of approximately $40,000AUD (20+ lakh).
Speaking about the visit, Professor Terry said, “UQ is committed to fostering relationships with India to ensure its research and innovation delivers change. One of the best ways we can forge enduring links and a deeper understanding is to have students immersed in education and the culture of another country.”
“UQ has enjoyed strong academic links with India for more than 50 years, and these uncapped scholarships will offer this opportunity to high performing students in India.” Professor Terry added.
Study Queensland, the State Government organisation dedicated to promoting Queensland as a premier study destination facilitated the partnerships between UQ and the Indian institutions. Mr Abhinav Bhatia, Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner-South Asia at Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), expressed his enthusiasm about the delegation visit and the corresponding partnerships, stating: “With the unveiling of the Queensland-India Trade and Investment Strategy 2023-2027 and the seminal signing of the AI-ECTA, we are navigating towards a horizon of unprecedented opportunities and deeper cooperation between Queensland and India.” Abhinav Bhatia further added “The earnest engagement from the leadership at UQ underscores the value and strategic focus Queensland’s universities are attributing to India. UQ’s symbiotic research endeavours with IIT Delhi are a beacon of promise, aiming to catalyse progressive transformation for corporates in both nations.”
While in India, the UQ delegation met with education, industry and government partners including the Australian High Commissioner, the Ministry of Education, the University Grants Commission, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
Mr Varghese said the bilateral relationship was an important strategic focus for Australia and close people-to-people links had enabled the countries to make significant progress and grow markets globally.
Mr Varghese further said “A growing Indian economy will need more of the things Australia is well-placed to provide, from education services to resources and energy, from food to health care and from tourism to environmental management. An even deeper partnership across education and training will lift the reputation of Australia’s universities in India and address our national challenges on a global level.”
Mr Varghese said the flagship research partnership, the UQ-IITD Research Academy, was just one example of how collaboration was transforming the Australia-India research landscape. More than 100 students are enrolled in the joint PhD program at the Academy.
“Together we are finding solutions to global challenges and problems — from renewable energy technologies to vaccine development and innovative urban planning.” Mr Varghese concluded.
The UQ delegation renewed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bangalore, committing to research collaboration in various areas of expertise.