UQ and Southern and Central Asia

The 2025 UQ–IITD Research Academy Annual Symposium was hosted by The University of Queensland (UQ) on 1-2 July 2025 at St Lucia in Brisbane. The symposium brought together around 180 participants including government, industry partners, PhD students, and academics from both UQ and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) to explore collaborative research initiatives aimed at addressing sustainability challenges and fostering innovation between Australia and India.

After a competitive selection process, 10 initiatives have been awarded funding totalling $106,452 for Round One of the University of Queensland (UQ) Global Partnerships Funding Scheme in 2025.

UQ delivers Australia Awards courses to the next generation of global leaders on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Short courses are offered to emerging leaders from developing countries, who return home to contribute to their nation’s development, prosperity and resilience.

From solar breakthroughs to smart grids, the future of energy is being written now. The University of Queensland (UQ) and the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) are contributing to that narrative through their established partnership within the UQ-IITD Research Academy. During a visit by IITD's Director to UQ on February 6 and 7, UQ hosted a special seminar focused on energy transition, where IITD Director Professor Banerjee and UQ Professor Adrian Panow engaged in an in-depth discussion on energy transitions in India and Australia.

The University of Queensland’s partnership with the Asha Society India has brought 2 students to study in Brisbane from the slums of Delhi since 2021. The UQ–India Enabling Scholarship was established through UQ’s partnership with Asha in 2019 to assist India’s disadvantaged and vulnerable students to access tertiary education.

External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar today met with Chancellor of University of Queensland Peter Varghese in Brisbane, Australia. In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said that during the meeting, they exchanged views on educational and research collaborations between India and Australia.