New La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor strengthens ties during India visit

twentieth March 2024, Delhi: Australia’s La Trobe University has recognized key areas to additional strengthen its longstanding dedication to Indian Research and Education partnerships during a visit by the University’s New Vice-Chancellor. Professor Theo Farrell, who started as Vice-Chancellor in February this 12 months, has met with a spread of Industry, Government, and Trade Representatives during a five-day visit to the nation.

La Trobe has a proud and profitable historical past in India, partnering with tertiary establishments and organizations on initiatives that profit each international locations and serving to develop India’s brightest minds by way of joint training alternatives.

During his visit, Professor Farrell convened a number of Roundtable discussions with Partners, Industry, and Government Representatives, on alternatives to collaborate on areas of mutual curiosity that tackle nationwide priorities and which are vital for Industry Innovation and Development.

Professor Farrell mentioned there have been a number of precedence areas for La Trobe that offered alternatives for deepening relationships in India and creating new partnerships.

These embody persevering with to assist and broaden scholar exchanges in India and Australia; creating analysis focussed on digital applied sciences and abilities improvements; analysis commercialization alternatives, and linkages with trade companions. Deepening mutual trade partnerships play to La Trobe’s strengths in areas together with sensible cities, sustainable agriculture and meals safety, bio innovation, and in well being and care innovation.

“Some of La Trobe’s most vital college companions are in India, and we’re constructing vital partnerships with trade and companies in India that leverage our vital experience in areas together with sustainable meals and agriculture, well being and wellbeing, know-how and bio-innovation, ”Professor Farrell mentioned.

“Our experience in bio-innovation has not too long ago been recognised by BioNTech, one of many world’s main biotechnology corporations, who’ve chosen La Trobe’s Melbourne campus as the bottom for its new mRNA manufacturing facility to develop and check most cancers therapies. “In addition, we’re dedicated to institutional cross-learning, joint mental packages and analysis, collaborative approaches that tackle trade challenges and joint instructional partnerships that present vital priceless studying alternatives for college kids.”

Opportunities for additional collaboration and engagement have been additionally mentioned at a Leadership Roundtable of all member Universities of the Asian Smart Cities Research Innovation Network (ASCRIN), which was based by La Trobe University in 2019 and is now its Single Largest Research Internationalisation Initiative with joint funding of greater than AUD $43 million (Rs 235 crores)

ASCRIN brings collectively a community of researchers, world trade companions, authorities collaborators, and start-ups to advance analysis into sensible city-related initiatives, serving to to enhance the sustainability, livability, and effectivity of cities and cities within the area.

“The Network, with over 250 researchers, has already made vital strides in curating a robust portfolio of impact-based initiatives aimed toward enhancing sustainability, liveability, and effectivity of cities and cities within the area. Our imaginative and prescient is now to construct on this and speed up engagement with trade and authorities to fast-track commercialisation and adoption pathways,” mentioned Professor Aniruddha Desai, ASCRIN Founder and Co-Director of IIT Kanpur – La Trobe University Research Academy.

The Network has over 50 initiatives underway that may make a tangible distinction within the lives of individuals in India, together with:

• Data-driven decision-making to enhance Dairy provide chains.

• Re-using development and demolition waste to cut back landfill.

• Intelligent planning of power grids to optimize consumption and scale back prices.

• Using sensors to enhance indoor rising situations of medicinal crops.

• Real-time crash prediction in visitors on city roads and intersections to extend the protection of all highway customers.

The Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) final 12 months joined different main tertiary establishments, the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-Okay) and Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS-Pilani) as companions within the Network, which already consists of greater than 250 researchers and over 70 Joint-PhD initiatives.

Professor Farrell and Pro Vice Chancellor of TISS, Professor Shankar Das additionally introduced a Joint- PhD program, which can assist Indian college students to conduct analysis addressing the rising challenges of urbanization in Asia.

The La Trobe delegation will rejoice the finalists and winners of the Annual Technology Infusion Grand Challenge, which is designed to encourage undergraduate college students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Business fields to be assured of their abilities and information to provide a options and resolve a concrete downside utilizing next-generation sensible applied sciences.

Over 130 college students in some 67 groups from 18 universities within the area submitted modern entries.

Professor Farrell may also visit Mahindra University, the place La Trobe has launched a joint Bachelor’s diploma program in civil engineering.

The collaboration, initiated in 2023, aligns with India’s National Education Policy 2023 and Australia’s Education Strategy for India, providing a singular alternative for college kids to pursue their Bachelor’s diploma in civil engineering with two years at Mahindra University and two years at La Trobe University. Students will obtain a bachelor’s diploma in civil engineering from each Universities.