Australian high commissioner to India Philip Green visited Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar on Tuesday and stressed the growing academic and research partnership between India and Australia.

He was accompanied by George Thiveos, minister-counsellor (education and research), and Angelina Nair, senior research and visits officer.

The visit served as an essential opportunity to gain deeper insights into the institute’s key research priorities and the broader research and innovation ecosystem in
Odisha.

The high commissioner met Prof. Shreepad Karmalkar, director of IIT Bhubaneswar, senior faculty members and representatives from the Research and Entrepreneurship Park (REP), focusing on the growing collaboration in various research projects.

Prof. Karmalkar made a presentation introducing the IIT’s unique strengths in teaching-learning, research, industry-academia collaboration, entrepreneurship development, teacher education and mental wellness measures.

The Australian delegation highlighted that with India now the second-largest source of students in Australia, the focus is on building a two-way education partnership through new campuses, collaborations in India, including Odisha, and the upcoming Australia-India Education and Skills Council meeting in Bhubaneswar in December.

The high commissioner toured select research facilities, including the Central Research and Instrumentation Facility (CRIF), the Research and Entrepreneurship Park (REP) and the Silicon Carbide Research and Innovation Centre of the Institute.

The visit highlighted IIT Bhubaneswar’s strong emphasis on research and innovation.