Deakin University of Australia has tied up with five major corporates including TCS, Infosys, HSBC, HCL for its upcoming branch campus in Gujarat International Finance Tech-city (GIFT) for industry interface including guest lectures, internships, etc., its vice-chancellor said.
“Initially we will commence two post graduate courses in cybersecurity and business analytics with an investment of Rs 21.7 crore approximately. These will be a mirror image of Australian courses. We will start with 60 students per course and increase it to 120 students. We have tied with five companies – TCS, Infosys, HSFC, HCL, Xebia – for guest lectures, internships. It will not be a pure academic course but will have integration with industry work,” Deakin University Vice-Chancellor Iain Martin told Moneycontrol.
The university aims to equip postgraduate students with the skills and knowledge in technology and business which are needed to excel in the rapidly advancing digital economy, not just in India but across the globe.
The announcement was made during the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Ahmedabad on March 8.
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Martin said the courses may also look at student exchange programs for a trimester or a semester.
Deakin University has approximately 65,000 students. It offers a variety of courses including IT, fintech, film production using digital technology courses. A variety of them can be replicated in India with time. Going ahead, Deakin may look at launching more courses in digital economy like fintech and finance, he said.
“The courses in digital economy will fill the lacunae in the industry. The courses are likely to begin by July 2024 for which the enrolments will begin in November-December this year,” he said.
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The Indian government gives a 10-year tax holiday on the profits earned by the companies including Deakin. The Centre, last year, allowed foreign universities to operate out of the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gandhinagar. The foreign universities can offer courses in financial management, fintech, science, technology, engineering, etc.
The fee structure at GIFT City campus for a 2-year course will be around Rs 19 lakh though its yet to be finalised, Deakin University CEO (South Asia) Ravneet Pawha told Moneycontrol.
“It's a vertical campus on lease. It will be built to Deakin requirements. Total campus area will be around 25,000 sq ft. Technology, commerce and industry will be combined together in these courses,” she said.
Deakin is ranked among the top 50 global young universities. It has earlier partnered with Indian universities including IIT, Indian School of Business, Manipal University, Symbiosis International University, etc for research.
The number of Indian students studying at Australian universities is at 52,186 till June 2022, according to the data from the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
