Victoria university cleared to open Gurugram campus in India

Australia's Victoria University received approval to establish a campus in Gurugram, while Flinders University secured a Letter of Intent for a Bengaluru campus. The agreements, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Australia visit, aim to deepen education, research and people-to-people ties

Melbourne: Australia’s Victoria University has received an approval to set up and operate its campus in Gurugram in India, signifying a part of educational partnerships towards strengthening people-to-people ties, the Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday.

Handing over a Letter of Intent (LoI) to another Australian university for setting up its campus in India and an MoU between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and a third university here were among the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit Down Under.

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Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese noted with satisfaction the “growing presence” of Australian universities in India and the contribution of educational partnerships towards building a future-ready workforce, fostering innovation, and strengthening people-to-people ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

Modi, who arrived in Melbourne a day ago on the second leg of his three-nation visit, participated in the third India-Australia Annual Summit hosted by Prime Minister Albanese here.

The two leaders also held one-on-one discussions followed by delegation-level talks. They welcomed the successful completion of six years of the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Among the host of outcomes from Modi’s visit to Australia is the handing over of a Letter of Approval to Victoria University which permits it to set up and operate its campus in Gurugram in the national capital region.

According to its website, the Victoria University, for more than 100 years, as an institution, has offered accessible education to students in Melbourne’s west and beyond.

Another outcome in the education sector, is the handing over of a Letter of Intent (LoI) to Flinders University for setting up its campus in India. This will enable the institution to set up its campus in Bengaluru, according to the MEA. The two leaders also highlighted the “continued expansion of education cooperation between the two countries,” the ministry said in a statement issued after the India-Australia Annual Summit.

The Australian Prime Minister’s Office said the two countries are “committed to unlocking the full potential of our relationship” by investing in education, science and technology.

“Australian university campuses in India are a cornerstone of our education partnership, driving innovation, skills development and economic growth in both countries,” Albanese was quoted as saying in its statement.

Education and skills are “key pillars” in the relationship between Australia and India, the Australian Prime Minister’s Office said. India is Australia’s second-largest source of international students, with over 1,40,000 Indian students studying in Australian institutions last year, it said.

The two prime ministers welcomed Flinders University receiving approval to establish a campus in India, joining seven other Australian universities endorsed to have campuses across India.

The two leaders also noted the “benefits of Australia’s growing vocational education programmes in India and welcomed the agreement between Western Australian TAFE and India to support a Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Mining and Mining Equipment, Technology and Services in India,” the Australian Prime Minister’s Office said.

Among the other outcomes of the visit, include an MoU between the CSIR and the University of Melbourne. It establishes linkages between both institutions for future collaboration including collaborative research programmes towards drug target identification, trainee programmes, and faculty exchange programmes, the MEA said.

The two leaders also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership, driving trilateral cooperation with Canada on critical and emerging technologies, the Australian PM’s office statement said.

“The Prime Ministers also announced the commissioning of a temporary space tracking terminal on Cocos Keeling Islands, which will support India’s landmark Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme. The site has been successfully commissioned to track the first launch of four key missions,” it said.

“We are excited to support India’s Gaganyaan space launch mission and demonstrate how Australia is a trusted partner in space exploration,” it added.