Engineering research: NUST, Australian varsity sign agreement

Agreement signed to promote academic and educational cooperation.

RAWALPINDI:

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) have signed an agreement to promote academic and educational cooperation.

UNSW Pro-Vice Chancellor Mark Hoffman and NUST Pro-Rector Dr Asif Raza signed the agreement, said a press release issued here on Thursday.

Australian High Commissioner Peter Heyward expressed pleasure over the increased cooperation between the two universities and exchange of students for collaborative research.

“As our student linkages grow, so will our collaborative research relationship. Already Pakistani students are making strong contributions to Australian institutions through study abroad. I am delighted to see the increased cooperation,” he said.

“The agreement will serve to strengthen impressive links between the leading science and technology universities in Pakistan and Australia,” Prof Hoffman said.

Currently, around 10,000 Pakistani students were studying in Australia.

The new agreement comes only six months after the UNSW became the first Australian university to sign an agreement with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to provide scholarships to 15 Pakistani PhD students every year.

Under the agreement, the two institutions will collaborate on research activities focusing initially on engineering.

The UNSW and NUST faculty members would also be encouraged to take part in reciprocal academic exchange programmes aimed at furthering collaboration between the two universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2014.