Monash University will strengthen ties with top Indian corporations and key Indian government ministries to support new education opportunities for Indian and Australian students, build joint research projects, and enhance innovation.
The launch of the Monash India Plan was announced today by Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International) and Senior Vice President, Professor Craig Jeffrey, during a visit to Monash’s Clayton campus by The Honourable Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Indian Minister of Education, and The Hon Jason Clare MP, Australia’s Federal Minister for Education.
Amongst a suite of strategic education initiatives, the Monash India Plan sets out a vision to:
- build stronger relationships with over 60 priority schools across India, expanding student mobility and fostering innovative learning opportunities
- inspire future leaders to address pressing global challenges, including climate change, while broadening access to Monash’s world-class education through the innovative ‘Change It Challenge’
- provide Indian students with exceptional access to international education and real-world experience through Monash’s successful Transnational Education partnerships and its Global Immersion Guarantee.
Over the next five years, Monash will seek to partner with Indian industry as well as government institutions such as the Ministries of Education, Defence, Electronics and Information Technology to forge stronger links between academia and industry in areas such as sustainable development, digital transformation and healthcare innovation.
This builds on Monash’s existing partnership with the prestigious India Institute of Technology on the IITB-Monash Research Academy and existing research collaboration in India, such as The Australia-India Critical Minerals Research Hub, research and training in railway engineering through the Monash Institute of Railway Technology (IRT), and the Centre for Innovation on Environment and Intelligent Manufacturing with Tata Steel.
“It was a tremendous honour to welcome both The Honourable Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, India’s Minister of Education, and his Australian counterpart Minister Clare, to Monash University,” said Professor Pickering.
“India is a country that shares fundamental values with Australia and both countries are seeking a much closer relationship. There is a crucial opportunity for our two countries to positively influence the future of the Indo-Pacific, and our Monash India Plan signals a new beginning for this work.”
Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) and Senior Vice President, Professor Craig Jeffrey, said that Monash’s engagement with India was ready to enter a new stage.
“There’s never been a better time for Australia and India to build educational partnerships,” said Professor Jeffrey.
“These two countries – at two corners of Asia – share a central passion: Impactful education and impactful research.”
As part of the plan’s launch Monash staff were joined by a large delegation of visitors from India as well as the Indian High Commissioner, taking in a tour of a number of facilities including the Monash Innovation Labs and the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication.
The group also had time to meet with Monash student ambassadors from India which included Maitri Scholar Rohith Prakash, Vedant Gadhavi and Ayushi Daga.
The Monash India Plan is available to download here.
Key pillars for Australia and India relations
- Enhanced research partnerships: Monash will build upon its successful collaborations with Indian institutions, particularly the IITB-Monash Research Academy, expanding joint PhD programs and cross-border research in critical fields.
- Increased student mobility: Through the Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG) program, Monash will offer more opportunities for students to engage with Indian institutions and industry, enabling hands-on learning and cultural exchange.
- Industry-academia cooperation: Monash is set to deepen ties with Indian businesses, ensuring that research and innovation directly address the shared challenges of both nations, particularly in sectors like climate change and digital infrastructure.
About Monash University
Monash is a modern, global, research-intensive university, delivering education and research excellence across our four Australian campuses, as well as our campuses in Malaysia and Indonesia. We also have campuses in partnership with universities in India and China, and
offer immersive global programs including Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG), Monash Innovation Guarantee (MIG) and Research, Experimentation and Discovery (RED).
