Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMART) Program 2021

(From Left: Mr Shaun Star, Director, Centre of India Australia Studies, JGU and Board Member, IAIE; Dr Ashutosh Misra, CEO, IAIE; and Prof. C. Rajkumar, VC, JGU)

About the Program

India-based O.P. Jindal Global University and Australia-based Institute for Australia India Engagement have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote Student Mentoring and Research Training (SMART) program for undergraduate and post-graduate students. The program is aimed at mentoring students for future research, academic and professional roles and imparting the necessary training to help them build research skills in academic writing including data collection and management, preparing hypothesis, title, abstract and conclusion, presentation skills among other skill. The program also provides basic information on scholarship opportunities in Australia and code to crack them. The program will also impart key leadership skills to the students.

As a part of this program students will be affiliated with IAIE as a research intern for a period of 1-2 months where there will be given an opportunity to design, edit and publish pieces of 200-300 words on an exclusive page entitled ‘Youth Pulse’ in the India News, a fortnightly published from Australia, under the IAIE flagship.

Partnering Institutions: IAIE and JGU

JGU is a leading Indian university and recognized as an Institute of Eminence by the Government of India in 2020, becoming the highest-ranking Indian Private University in the QS World University Rankings 2021. Within JGU, the Centre for India Australia Studies (CIAS) is the only research centre focused on the India-Australia relationship to be housed in a university. It has hosted dignitaries and delegations from Australia, including former prime ministers, members of parliament, judges, governors and senior diplomats. CIAS hosts policy dialogues and collaborative research with IAIE and Australian institutions and made submissions to DFAT’s foreign policy Whitepaper.

IAIE is a not-for-profit policy institution launched by the Indian High Commissioner in 2018 to strengthen the Australia-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through high-impact evidence-based research publications; policy-driven multi-disciplinary project collaborations with Australian, Indian and international partners on foreign policy, defence and security, business and trade, energy, education, sports and culture; multi-track policy dialogues involving policy makers, strategic analysts, academics, sportspersons and business leaders, targeted capacity development and business solutions for stakeholders in both countries, special orations, public lectures and seminars on bilateral and strategic issues, and community dialogues, media engagements and public events to strengthen multiculturalism in Australia and India.

What Leaders Think?

C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University said: “At a time where travel is limited, the virtual engagements with Institute of Australia India Engagement and Cyber EQ will allow students from different disciplines at JGU to undertake unique internship opportunities in Australia. These international internships are another example of JGU’s focus on ensuring that students have opportunities to meaningfully engage with institutions from around the world during their studies. In the future, our students will be able to pursue these internships by travelling to Australia and experiencing it in a more engaged manner.”

Dr Ashutosh Misra, CEO and Executive Director of IAIE says, “IAIE is the first not-for-profit independent institution in Australia focused on deepening research, policy engagement and capacity-building in Australia-India bilateral relationship. We are committed to strengthening Australia-India ties by nurturing future thinking leaders, professionals and academic experts in collaboration with JGU”.

Mr Shaun Star, Director of Centre for India Australia Studies and the IAIE Board member is deeply excited for this program and considers it a welcome initiative for future India Australia experts. He says, “JGU-IAIE partnership for the SMART program is a game-changer for the Australia India academic, diplomatic and people-to-people engagements, and has been successfully shaping strategic thinking and policy-making in New Delhi and Canberra through the Triveni policy dialogues, along with the Australia India Business Council”.