The Victorian Government recently welcomed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Industry–Academia Global Partnership Delegation to Melbourne, highlighting the growing opportunities for collaboration between Victoria and India across education, research, innovation, skills and investment.

Led by Amit Gossain, Managing Director of KONE Elevators India, the delegation brought together leaders from Indian industry, universities and research institutions to explore how stronger partnerships can support talent development, research excellence and commercial outcomes.

Discussions reinforced India’s growing role as a global knowledge and innovation partner. Delegates noted India’s scale in higher education and research, with more than 44 million students in higher education, including 9.85 million in STEM, and more than 300,000 PhD enrolments. India’s expanding research output, startup ecosystem and policy reforms are creating new opportunities for deeper engagement with international partners.

For Victoria, the visit aligned with the state’s focus on building stronger links with India under Victoria’s India Strategy: Our Shared Future 2025–30. India remains an important partner for Victoria in international education, trade and investment, with around 79,000 Indian students in Victoria and Indian businesses investing more than $326 million in the state between 2020/21 and 2024/25, creating 885 jobs.

Key areas of collaboration discussed during the visit included:

• collaborative research and innovation
• research commercialisation and technology transfer
• joint and dual degree programs
• industry-linked skilling initiatives
• joint PhD supervision and doctoral programs
• faculty and student mobility
• startup and entrepreneurship partnerships

Priority sectors included artificial intelligence, semiconductors, climate technologies, health technologies, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing.

The visit also highlighted successful existing partnerships, including Deakin University’s GIFT City Campus in Gujarat, Victoria University’s licensed campus in Delhi NCR, and research collaborations involving Monash University, RMIT University and Indian Institute partners.

As Victoria continues to deepen its engagement with India, industry–academia partnerships such as this will play an important role in supporting future jobs, investment, skills and innovation.