CHENNAI: The University of South Australia (UNISA), which signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Madras University on Monday, is looking for improved relationship and exchange of expertise and knowledge with faculty and students, besides building a relationship based on trust, according to signatories.
Already, Political Science and English departments of Madras University have established collaborative research with UNISA. Faculty members of the Australian university had delivered several lectures and quite a few students from India had gone to that university on fellowships and awards, instituted by the Australian Government.
In the past decade, 80 of the university’s students from the Political Science department had visited India and worked in Tamil Nadu. The Australian students worked with a CMC-run social work centre in Vellore and at the Madras Christian College near Chennai, said Adrian Vickery, director of the Hawke Institute of UNISA.
The International Centre of Madras University was formed in 2003 and the first MoU was signed in 2000 by Alison McKinnon who has, since then, visited Madras University twice and delivered lectures on history and feminism.
Recalling the memorandum signed by the two universities, Denise Bradley, Vice-Chancellor of the UNISA, said there was scope for enlarging the MoU to other areas such as social sciences. The Australian Government was interested in building relationship and it was providing travel grants to assist research. The money was provided only where there were established strong relationship, Dr. Bradley said.
The Political Science Department has taken up research work on the wise use of water in urban areas and management of potable water by preventing man-made havoc. Besides water, biomedical, pharmaceutical and children’s development are other areas of research that UNISA is looking at.
It has received a grant of Australian $ 22 million for research currently being done with Anna University, Dr. Bradley said.
In Social Sciences, another area of focus is health economics.
Madras University’s Department of Econometrics has done a study in human development index and this expertise could be shared with the UNISA, said Anne Mary Fernandez, registrar of the Madras University, who signed the MoU on behalf of the Madras University.
