Australian university signs pact with AIIMS

New Delhi: An Australian university on Tuesday signed a pact with AIIMS and three other varsities with an aim to provide 14 PhD scholarships worth Rs 25 million and also work with the premier health institute on tackling antimicrobial resistance.

The La Trobe University of Australia has inked MoUs with major institutes like Amity University in Noida, JSS University in Mysore and O P Jindal Global University in Haryana, apart from AIIMS.

The Australian university, which is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, has launched 14 PhD scholarships worth over Rs 25 million, for students in India to undertake PhD programmes at La Trobe's partner university, JSS University in Mysore.

"La Trobe will also cover the cost of students travelling to, and spending upto six months studying at its Melbourne campus," said Professor John Dewar of La Trobe.

"The objective is to strengthen Australia's relationship with India," Dewar added.

The partnerships with AIIMS, Amity University and O P Jindal Global University will lead to collaborative research, and academic exchange between both the institutions.

Speaking at the event, AIIMS director Randeep Guleria said that La Trobe University will work in the area of dentistry with the Centre for Dental Education and Research apart from other research projects.

"They will work on nanotechnology and its application in medicine and dentistry. We are also exploring the possibility of developing a project to deal with the challenges of antimicrobial resistance," Dr Guleria said.

According to Dewar, these partnerships will allow students and staff in India and Australia to gain international academic and cultural experience.

Dewar said La Trobe is also committed to working with local organisations to support women students in India.

The university has also launched 'Women in Leadership Scholarship' worth AUD 80,000 for women from underprivileged backgrounds in India to undertake postgraduate studies in Australia.

Dewar said India would continue to be a strategic priority country for La Trobe.

"As we celebrate our 50th anniversary we are announcing new measures that will strengthen our already important relationship with India," Dewar said.

"La Trobe is seeing continuous demand from students from the Indian subcontinent to pursue further studies in Australia and we want to do what we can to support those students," Dewar added.