The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and University of Queensland (UQ) have today jointly established the UQ-IITD Academy of Research (UQIDAR). The UQIDAR will offer a joint PhD programme to support scholars across diverse discipline areas to deliver global impact. This will ensure that the students have the opportunity to get trained under some of the best mentors and being exposed to international education will help them in getting ready for the industry.

The UQIDAR aims to train a large number of students under the joint PhD programme, supervised by professors at both UQ and IIT-Delhi. By bringing in the expertise and the resources of both the institutes, the students trained under this programme will have ample opportunities to further develop their skill sets and get equipped with the needed skills required to thrive in the modern world.

The five identified themes include — healthy ageing, feeding the world, resilient environment, technology for tomorrow, and transforming societies

The programme, which is now two years old, has already attracted over 65 top PhD scholars in various disciplines. Both the institutes aim to have approximately 300 students enrolled in the joint PhD programme in the next three years to help more students garner more knowledge. The UQIDAR students will spend time in both India and Australia. Students from India will typically spend three years at IIT-Delhi and one-year at UQ and students from Australia will spend three years at UQ and one year at IIT-Delhi.

The UQIDAR will focus on interdisciplinary themes. The five identified themes include — healthy ageing, feeding the world, resilient environment, technology for tomorrow, and transforming societies. “The partnership between the two universities is focused on strengthening multi-disciplinary research collaboration as we seek to find solutions to these types of threats,” said Prof Deborah Terry AO, president and vice-chancellor, The University of Queensland, Australia.