The University of Sydney, Australia’s premier higher education and research university, recently capped off a roadshow covering Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad to announce an India-focussed scholarship programme worth more than INR 25 million accompanied by partnerships with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Tech Mahindra and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.

The university’s study scholarship scheme aims to help discover India’s next leaders and the ‘one idea that will bring positive change to India.’ Scholarships have been opened to applicants who are Indian citizens currently residing in India and applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree at the University of Sydney.

Commenting on the University of Sydney’s renewed focus on attracting students from India, Dr Michael Spence, vice-chancellor and principal, said, “We live in a globalised world and when our students enter the workforce, they will have to work with colleagues, clients and stakeholders from around the world. The best way for us to give them the intercultural and interpersonal skills they need for their future careers is to ensure that they have international experience as part of their degrees.”

The scholarships on offer include:

– 3 AUD $50,000 (approx. INR 2.5m) scholarships for undergraduate students paid over the duration of any undergraduate degree up to four years

– 10 AUD $20,000 (approx. INR 1m) first-year scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students

– 15 AUD $10,000 (approx. INR 500,000) first-year scholarships for undergraduate and postgraduate students
 
The University of Sydney’s TISS partnership will look at real-world projects, developed and managed by both universities’ academic staff – focusing on economic development, environmental sustainability and social inequality. It will build on initiatives currently in place and include tailored classes and city field visits in Mumbai as well as travel around the southern state of Kerala. With Tech Mahindra, the university has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at allowing student groups to work with an academic supervisor and industry experts on problems around artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, virtual reality, augmented reality, and the Internet-of-Things (IoT) in Tech Mahindra’s Makers lab.

 Explaining the rationale behind tying up with Tech Mahindra, Dr Spence said, “We are firmly in the Asian century with Australia’s future closely interlinked with Asia. Partnering with leading Indian organisations is the key to giving our students a better understanding of our region and experience working in an international company.”

The University of Sydney has also been collaborating with IIT Bombay since 2016 through joint workshops focusing on nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing. Extending the partnership, it will now facilitate the mobility of doctoral students between the two institutions – with research projects focusing on a broad range of areas including nanoscale science and technology.

 TISS, Tech Mahindra and IIT Bombay join the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras as strategic partners of the University of Sydney.