Australian academics to teach at elite Indian institutions

New Delhi : A first group of 13 Australian academics have been invited to be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key higher education project ‘Global Initiative of Academic Network’ (GIAN) for 2016.

The Australian scholars will undertake short-term teaching and research programs in cutting-edge subject areas such as infrastructure project planning and modelling, geosynthetic and surface engineering, groundwater modeling and 3D printing at elite Indian institutions.

“I congratulate these successful Australian academics travelling to India under GIAN. This is a unique program for both Australia and India, which will forge academic and research collaboration and build on the strong education engagement between our two countries,” said Australian High Commissioner to India Patrick Suckling.

The GIAN program was extended to Australia by India’s Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani, following her meeting with former Australian Education Minister Christopher Pyne in August 2015 in New Delhi.

GIAN is a short-term teaching program under which foreign scholars are invited to teach at India’s leading technology institutes to build knowledge and transform higher education across the country.

Australian universities participating under the program include Edith Cowan University, Deakin University, University of Melbourne, University of Western Sydney, University of Queensland, James Cook University, Swinburne University of Technology and La Trobe University. (ANI)