April 10, 2017
The Group of Eight’s (Go8) latest research engagement strategy with India, and its publication “Excellence in India” which celebrates the results of some two decades of research collaboration between the Go8 and Indian researchers, are to be launched by Minister Simon Birmingham this afternoon (Delhi time).
Minister Birmingham contributed a foreword to “Excellence in India” in which he says that “collaborative education and research underpins Australia’s strong relationship with India. We are proud of our reputation for undertaking high quality research, and we want to establish partnerships with countries that share the same goals. In India we have found the ideal partner.”
“The Go8 shares those Government goals, and is extremely proud to record such positive research impact that is of value to both our nations,” says Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson. “The Go8 has a long and exceptional commitment to research excellence, and this is obvious by what is being achieved in India with the collaborative research teams.”
Ms Thomson said it was now time to take those valued and established relationships deeper, and to move to an ambitious timeframe for the first report of a new Taskforce which will concentrate on enabling far greater movement of quality Indian PhD students to study in Australia.
“We are a quality destination for training the researchers of tomorrow,” she said, “and the Taskforce, to be announced by the Minister, and jointly chaired by Go8 Chair Professor Peter Høj and Professor Devang Khakhar, Director of India’s prestigious IIT-B in Mumbai, will deliver its first “roadmap” within six months to implement the training strategy.
“We look forward to support from the Australian Government to ensuring the quality students accepted into the Go8 training program will encounter no Visa difficulties or delays. There is so much to be gained from our latest strategy given what is already being achieved in the water, power, medical, infrastructure, economic development and waste management areas, to name only a few, “said Ms Thomson.
“We must ensure that our researchers continue to be able to work collaboratively and without border constraints,” she said. “Researchers from all nations can always assist each other.”
Note: “Excellence in India “ is available on the Go8 website
Contact: Ms Vicki Thomson Group of Eight Chief Executive on +61 438 047 155
