University of Sydney partners with Indian institutes for Rs 25 mn scholarships

The University of Sydney on Monday announced a partnership with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Tech Mahindra and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to provide scholarships worth more than Rs 25 million to Indian students. The scholarship scheme aims to help discover India's next leaders and the "one idea that will bring positive change to the country".

"We live in a globalised world and when our students enter the workforce, they will have to work with colleagues, clients and stakeholders from around the world," Michael Spence, Vice-Chancellor and Principal at the University of Sydney, said in a statement. "The best way for us to give them the intercultural and interpersonal skills they need for their future careers is to ensure that they have international experience as part of their degrees," Spence added.

The scheme includes three scholarships of approximately Rs 2.5 million each for undergraduate students paid over the duration of an undergraduate degree up to four years; 10 first-year scholarships of approximately Rs 1 million each for undergraduate and postgraduate students; and 15 first-year scholarships of approximately Rs 500,000 each for undergraduate and postgraduate students. It is open to applicants who are Indian citizens currently residing in India and applying for an undergraduate or postgraduate coursework degree at the University of Sydney.

The University's TISS partnership will look at real-world projects, developed and managed by both universities' academic staff, focusing on economic development, environmental sustainability and social inequality. With Tech Mahindra, the varsity has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at allowing student groups to work with an academic supervisor and industry experts on problems around Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, virtual reality, augmented reality, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

With IIT Bombay, the University will facilitate the mobility of doctoral students between the two institutions -- with research projects focusing on a broad range of areas including nanoscale science and technology.

(With inputs from agencies.)