Australia India Institute

Award-winning journalist and former political media adviser Sarah Whyte has been appointed Head of Strategic Communications at the Australia India Institute (AII), the University of Melbourne’s centre dedicated to promoting support for and understanding of the Australia-India relationship. Ms Whyte’s appointment will build capacity across the Institute and the University to help shape opportunities for …

We are delighted to advise that Ms Lisa Singh is the Director of the Australia India Institute effective from 8th September 2021. Ms Singh is a former Australian Senator and was the first female MP of South Asian descent. She is the Deputy Chair of the Australia India Council and also sits on the advisory …

India’s National Education Policy 2020, or NEP, presents a bold agenda to reform India’s school, higher and adult education sectors. In this video, AII Acting Director Professor Muthupandian Ashokkumar and AII Senior Researcher (Education) Brigid Freeman briefly examine the NEP reforms, and discuss how Australia-India engagement can be improved. This video was presented in partnership …

SBS Hindi reflects on the AII’s research report Indian Student Mobility to Australia: Developing the knowledge base for more effective engagement in this news article.

Professor Nathan Grills, Professor at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health and Senior Research Advisor for Health at the AII, works largely in India on disability, non-communicable diseases and health curriculum development and training. Professor Grills, Dr Lindsey Gale and other colleagues have developed a Community-Based Inclusive Development Course (CBID) with the DEPWD …

Professor Nathan Grills, AII Senior Research Fellow (Health), recently spoke with ABC Mornings show presenter Virginia Trioli on India’s devastating Covid-19 second wave. Listen here from 43:17.

Dr Pradeep Taneja, AII Academic Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies at the University of Melbourne, recently spoke with ABC morning show presenter Ali Moore on the program segment ‘The World According To…’. https://www.aii.unimelb.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-04-12-Pradeep.mp3

Acting Director and CEO Professor Muthupandian Ashokkumar and the Australia India Institute would like to thank Ms Tanya Spisbah for two successful years driving the Australia India Institute in Delhi and for all her contributions to the Australia-India relationship during that time. During her two-year appointment, Tanya enhanced collaboration between the two countries contributing to …

The Women in School Leadership (WISL) pilot program was developed as part of Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future, to enhance engagement between Victorian and Indian schools. The program supported 12 female school principals from Victoria and India to explore and discuss the theme of Leading schools for social change with a focus on health …

Applications open for Australia’s second TiE Women Entrepreneurship Program 2021. TiE Melbourne and TiE Women Global are pleased to launch the TiE Women Entrepreneurs Program (TwE) for 2021. For women residing in Australia, with a focus on migrant women, the program is delivered in partnership with TiE Women, TiE Sydney, the Australia India Institute and …

The Australia India Institute is working on an exciting new research project

We are delighted to advise that Professor Muthupandian Ashokkumar is the Acting Director of the Australia India Institute effective from 1 December 2020.

The Australia India Institute will receive a gift of $400,000 over the next four years from Australia India Social and Charitable Ventures Limited, through Mr T. Janardhana Rao OAM and his family.

Wrapped up on July 16, 2020 the TiE Women Entrepreneurs Program was Australia’s first such initiative for Indian-origin women entrepreneurs, launched in Victoria.

This project is brought to you by the School of Geography at the University of Melbourne.

TiE Melbourne is excited to officially commence TwE, Australia’s first entrepreneurship program for migrant women in the state of Victoria, via a Zoom conference on the 23rd of April 2020.

At the Australia India Institute we have been deeply concerned by the Covid-19 pandemic and the risks this poses to health and prosperity across the world.

TwE is delivered in partnership with the Australia India Chamber and the Australia India Institute and supported by the Victorian State Government.

Our Director on what 2020 means for the Australia India Institute.

2019 has come to and end. Read our Director’s message on the year gone-by.

We successfully concluded out fourth Australia India Leadership Dialogue in Melbourne.

This article was originally published on Election Watch The introduction of compulsory voting in Australia has helped drive the development of integrated, effective and inventive electoral management that is both extremely well managed and trusted with unusually high and socially-even rates of electoral inclusion. Compulsory voting (CV) exists where the state imposes a legal requirement …

Rahul Gandhi has resigned as president of the Congress Party of India. Two questions arise: “Is this for real?” and “Why has it taken so long?”

The draft National Education Policy (NEP), prepared by a committee chaired by Dr. K Kasturirangan and released in late May, is the first comprehensive policy statement on education in India since 1986. In India’s Union budget last week its recommendations began to be implemented. It is, to put it bluntly, a game-changing document. The NEP …

Report on our Question Marks Seminar focused on the rise and importance of Hindi with a panel discussion comprising of four experts.

Tell us a little about your internship, your duties and how you heard about it? I interned for one of Melbourne’s leading Indian information technology providers Tech Mahindra from June 2018 to January 2019. I worked on a project with their client Suncorp, Australia’s largest financial services brand. At Suncorp, I was a part of …

On May 1, the Australia India Institute hosted a lecture by Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO of National Institute for Transforming India. NITI Aayog was established in 2015 as the official policy think tank of the Government of India and is tasked with catalysing economic development by identifying national priorities and strategies and fostering cooperative federalism. …

There are so many opportunities for internships and it’s important to look beyond the more obvious ones.

Do you know any businesses, professionals, or community leaders who are driving the India-Australia relationship forward?

The Melbourne South Asian Studies Group welcomes submissions in virtually all areas of research on South Asia.

Krishna Tripathi reflects on his internship with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Delhi and how it helped him develop new interests.

The AII’s New Generation Network’s Dr Jonathan Balls spoke with the ABC about the politics of electricity in India, here.

With new friends, and a little time, India began to feel like home.

The improvement of women’s position in society has been one of the great success stories of India in the past ten years.

The Institute’s mission is to become the leading centre for engaged research on contemporary India outside the subcontinent.

The Australia India Institute is delighted to announce that Ms Tanya Spisbah will head Aii@Delhi.

Over the past few days there’s been a concerning escalation of tensions between India Pakistan that has refocussed global attention on South Asia.

India is well on the way to realising its immense potential in industry, diplomacy, and as a world leader.

Priority will be given to projects that support the India Economic Strategy and other strategic priorities

Don’t be afraid to ask for opportunities and make the most of your networking opportunities, writes Vishwajit.

The Indian Ocean is the region of the future and a strategic priority for Australia.

Supporting legislative activity and communicating with constituents are some of the highlights of Sergio’s time in Delhi.

There is a buzz around the topic of India in Australia – a sense of connectedness and mutual benefit.

Australia India Institute Fellow Pradeep Taneja shares his insights on India’s state elections and prospects for the 2019 general election on ABC News

President Kovind stressed the depth and importance of diaspora ties in an event co-hosted by the Australia India Institute

Institute to co-host public lecture by President Kovind on the topic of ‘Australia and India as Knowledge Partners’

Former intern Balram Dhillon reflects on his invitation to a reception for Victorian Youth Leaders at Government House.

Our annual celebration of Indian culture, thought and society welcomed more people in more places.

In collaboration with the Melbourne School of Government, the Series will tap into expert insights to provide analysis of the world’s largest election.

Degraded natural environments are a threat to India’s future growth and prosperity – how can new technologies mitigate this risk?

The history of female artists in India is rich, but that story is rarely told.

The Australia India Institute hosts the celebration of Indian culture at the University of Melbourne.

Positions are available for disciplines related to International Relations, IT, Computer Science, Software Systems, Information Systems, Telecom Engineering, or Business Administration.

Director Craig Jeffrey on why the historic ruling will trigger real change in Indian society.

Listeners were taken a journey through the development of Indian feminism over the past 40 years.

How will the jobs created by the platform economy and artificial intelligence change Indian society?

India’s hub and spoke model of higher education is failing to provide the public goods initially envisioned.

Panellists reflected on changing understandings of gender identity, sexuality, and the law around the globe and in India and Australia alike. 

With half of the population under 30, India faces both opportunities and risks as it enters a new era

Mr Watts emphasised the timeliness of the Varghese India Economic Strategy, released last month, and highlighted the importance of people-to-people ties.

In Bangladesh, students have come together to block streets and close down schools, demanding that the government act on road safety.

The Australia India Institute is partnering with the South Asian Studies Association of Australia to host the First Annual South Asia as Practice Conference on 1-2 November 2018.

Spearheaded by the former DFAT Secretary, the document outlines a confident vision for future economic relations, while warning against complacency.

Rajveer Kaur reflects on life as an intern in the bustling metropolis of Mumbai.

The announcement was made as Australia’s education minister welcomed his Indian counterpart to Adelaide.

Chirag Shah on what surprised him about his internship experience and where next for his career.

Professor Craig Jeffrey speaks with SBS News about the history of the caste system in India, here.

In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources gave students …

              In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic …

The Australia India Institute is excited to release the sixth volume in the “Very Short Policy Brief” series, Making ‘Climate-Smart’ Indian cities, by Dr Komali Yenneti. Cities in India, and around the world, are getting hotter, with severe implications for public health, comfort, energy demand, labour productivity and economies. This brief identifies a range of climate-smart …

This is an exciting time to be leading an institute charged with building India and Australia ties.

Our India scholars discuss navigating the publishing process as an early career researcher.

Amy Piedalue reflects on her time at St. Joseph’s College in Hyderabad

China and India are emerging as major maritime powers as part of long-term shifts in the regional balance of power.

India is widely recognised as a new global powerhouse. Yet people still know relatively little about the changes unfolding inside the country today.

Telecom inventor, entrepreneur, development thinker and policy maker Sam Pitroda sat down at the Aii for a private roundtable.

Director Craig Jeffrey sits down with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne to discuss India’s unemployment challenge.

Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews launches ‘Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future” with the Australia India Institute

Yesterday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews launched a decade-long plan to strengthen Victoria’s engagement with India.

This is a terrifically exciting time to be thinking about India, and Australia is one of the most exciting places to be doing so. 

The Indian higher education system faces stiff challenges. Australians may not imagine they’re well placed to help. But there are opportunities for exciting collaboration between Australia and India in reforming higher education.

The Australia India Institute is pleased to announce that New Generation Network scholar Dr Geoff Schoenberg has been awarded funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Australia-India Council to examine and build a collaborative approach to sustainable sport governance transformation in India. Prof David Shilbury, Chair In Sport Management at Deakin University will be a principal participant in the project, which …

The Australia India Institute is pleased to announce that Dr Amanda Gilbertson, Lecturer in Youth and Contemporary India at the Australia India Institute and Dr Amy Piedalue, New Generation Network scholar at the Australia India Institute are part of two projects that have been awarded funding from the Melbourne Social Equity Institute as part of a recent …

The project aims to investigate the impact of new agricultural vocational training programs in rural India on processes of skill acquisition and youth livelihood trajectories.

There is enormous opportunity for sport in India, in all sectors, but there are also enormous challenges.

The University of Melbourne has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indian-based IT services leader Tata Consultancy Services to pursue technology research collaboration. 

Amanda Gilbertson reflects on discussions about ‘Women in the Asian Century’

The High Commission of India in Australia and the Australia India Institute are delighted to invite you to participate in our Hindi Essay Writing Competition.

The Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @ Delhi are accepting expressions of interest for interns.

In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources gave students …

In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources gave students …

Nehru was the first person to raise the Indian flag on Independence Day on the 15th August 1947. But who was the second?

In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources gave students …

Funding for the project was announced under the Department of Education and Training’s ‘Australian Indian Education: Enabling Growth and Innovation 2017-17 funding’.

In 2017 a number of students studying at Victorian education providers were chosen to participate in the newly created Victoria India Internship Program. The program, hosted by the Australia India Institute in Melbourne and the Australia India Institute @Delhi and supported by the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources gave students …

Writing in the nineteenth century, Georg Hegel imagined ‘civil society’ as a sphere of social action distinct from the state.

I have had the extraordinary privilege in the first 22 years of my career to spend much time living and working in provincial parts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

I often set my students the following exercise: Imagine you enter a lift and find Karl Marx/Max Weber/Germaine Greer inside. You’ve got 60 seconds – what would you talk about?

As higher education providers from competitor countries such as the UK are deepening their involvement in the Indian education sector, now is a crucial time for Australia to act.

The School of Geography, University of Melbourne is currently seeking two students interested in completing a Ph.D. as part of the project ‘Be the Change You Want to See: Social Geographies of Youth Social Action in India.’

From the New Generation Network to the launch of a new Policy Brief Series – catch up on the Institute’s activities in 2016.

Magic has an incredible power to unite, to transgress cultural and social boundaries, and to create communities of feeling.

The connection between poetry and social science is poorly understood. Social scientists aim to capture people’s experience of the world around them in its fullness.

It’s very rare that a film can evoke a sentiment so clearly while doing so little to drive a particular feeling home. In Chauthi Koot (the Fourth Direction), that feeling is fear.

What makes the Rio Olympics special? Is it the Brazilian flair for cultural expression or a particular type of Latin hospitality? Is it the weather, the people, the sun, or the city itself?

When I first visited the village of Bemni in the Indian Himalayas in 2003, I had a conversation with an old man about banknotes. He looked to be in his eighties but was keenly interested in my wallet.

One thing that has fascinated me over the past five years as a geographer and anthropologist is how many youth across the world are putting their political effort into “being the change they want to see in the world”

Aii@Delhi recently hosted the first of Incoming Leaders Fellowship Seminars by Mr. John Zubrzycki

Fellow Robin Jeffrey spoke to SBS News about Tamil Nadu’s promise to ban alcohol.

Patronage and corruption remain a major problem in India, and especially among jobless youth.

As Director of the Australia India Institute I’d like to write a regular feature – giving you a peep behind the scenes of what’s happening in our Institute.

Professor Craig Jeffrey, Director of the Aii, said the recently established position is the latest move by the Aii to strengthen its presence in research and academic programs.

The Australia India Institute is delighted to announce the launch of a ground-breaking network of post-doctoral positions across Australia.

The Australia India Institute’s incoming Director, Professor Craig Jeffrey, talks about his vision for the Institute.

Watch as Professor Craig Jeffrey talks about his decision to leave Oxford University and move to Melbourne, in the first of three videos profiling the Institute’s new Director.

Recently I was given the opportunity to intern with Community the Youth Collective (CYC), in New Delhi, India for 5 weeks. CYC is an NGO that aim to challenge social stigmas and break down barriers regarding excluded groups in society. How do they do this? By harnessing the overwhelming and passionate power of the Indian …