According to IDP’s Global Student Mobility 2025, India’s population is forecast to increase from just over 1 billion in 2000 to 1.35 billion in 2025. The study indicates that the demand for higher education in India will reach 60 million places by 2025. By this time, India will be the second largest source of demand for international higher education. The total demand for this from India is predicted to increase to 630,000 places in 2025, up from 77,000 places in 2000.

The Australian Government is promoting closer ties between Australian and Indian researchers with a view to raising the profile of Australian research and to develop strategic links between these two countries. The Australia–India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) aims to facilitate and support science and technology research by providing funding for projects which are of mutual interest.

There are several Endeavour Scholarships available to Australian and Indian students to enable students, researchers and professionals to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia and India in a broad range of disciplines. Awards aregranted on the basis of a merit.

The Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics has taken a leading role in promoting UWA programmes in India and has achieved great success in attracting quality students in all disciplines. The Faculty has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IIT Madras for student exchange and research linkages and are pursuing several other Memoranda of Understanding with other prestigious partners.
Student exchange, in the form of an internship program, has been particularly popular with IIT students. IITs are outstanding Institutes of Technology in India which produce world class graduates. To have interaction with these graduates helps to strengthen our teaching and research relationships.

In 2006, 14 intern students came to UWA undertaking projects in fields of Bio-medical, Microelectronics, Micro-Electro Mechanical System, Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences.

Another 30 new students commenced their internships in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics in May.