University of Queensland signs LSR pact, renews IIT Delhi PhD partnership

The Australian university signed a collaboration agreement with Lady Shri Ram College and extended its joint doctoral programme with IIT Delhi as it deepens engagement with India

Australia's University of Queensland (UQ) has signed a collaboration agreement with Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) as part of a broader push to deepen its India partnerships, Peter N Varghese AO, Chancellor, and Deborah Terry AC, President and Vice-Chancellor at UQ, told Business Standard during the university's India visit.

 

The Australian university is also exploring potential collaborations with SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Chennai.

 

“In this visit, we signed an agreement to work more closely with Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi. We are visiting VIT in Chennai and SRM Institute of Science and Technology to look at potential partnerships going forward,” said Varghese.

 

 

The university is also renewing its joint PhD partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) for another five years. The IIT Delhi-UQ Research Academy currently has 133 enrolled doctoral researchers, with 23 graduates and 20 more expected to graduate in August.

 

UQ said Indian students remain its second-largest international student cohort, even as rising tuition costs and currency pressures reshape overseas education decisions.

 

“We are cognisant of some of the financial pressures of students and that's where some of the articulation partnerships have a key role, where students spend two years here and maybe two years in Australia, or two plus one. These are becoming increasingly attractive and so we are certainly very supportive of those programmes,” said Terry, who added that the university was continuing to review scholarship programmes to attract high-quality students.

 

The visit includes meetings with the Australian High Commission, the Australian Consulate-General in Chennai, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, as the university seeks to align future collaborations with priorities under India's National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

 

The IIT Delhi-UQ Research Academy, launched in 2018, is among the largest Australia-India joint doctoral programmes and involves students being jointly supervised by researchers from both institutions. Most of the students are Indian and spend between one and two years in Australia during the course of their PhD programme.

 

UQ said the partnership model is central to its India strategy at a time when India's NEP has opened the door for foreign universities to establish campuses in the country. However, Deborah Terry AC, President and Vice-Chancellor at UQ, indicated that the university is not looking to set up a standalone campus in India at this stage.

 

Instead, she said its India engagement would continue to focus on long-term research partnerships, joint degrees, industry collaboration and student mobility programmes. The university currently has 43 active agreements with 30 institutions across India spanning joint research, dual degrees, student mobility and industry-linked collaborations.

 

“We've certainly had discussions with other IITs for exploring links in agriculture, which is important to both India and Australia. We have a large capacity in both teaching and research in agriculture, so we're very keen to strengthen those links,” Varghese added.

 

UQ said it is looking to deepen industry engagement alongside academic collaborations, particularly in sectors linked to innovation and advanced technologies. During the Chennai leg of the visit, the university hosted industry leaders for a roundtable on research translation and future-ready talent development.

 

UQ said advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, clean energy and artificial intelligence are among the core focus areas of its engagement with India through the IIT Delhi-UQ Research Academy. According to the university leadership, the academy's six research themes include these sectors along with quantum technologies and societal transition — areas of strategic importance for both India and Australia.