BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES STRATEGY

Transcription

1 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES STRATEGY

2 2 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

3 Aii DIRECTOR AND CEO: INTRODUCTION Within a decade of its establishment in 2008, the Australia India Institute has become an indispensable resource in strengthening the relationship and deepening trust between Australia and India. The Institute plays a crucial role in undertaking research and activating bilateral relationships between government, industry, and the community. The overall mission of the Institute in its next phase is to become the leading centre for engaged research on contemporary India outside the subcontinent. The Aii will build Australia s capacity for India-related research that addresses key social, political and environmental challenges. The principles of bharosa (trust), maryada (respect), and kalyan (welfare) will guide this mission. In addressing major challenges facing contemporary India, the Aii will catalyse learning across disciplinary siloes. Key issues affecting India such as climate change, social discrimination, and health inequality require an interdisciplinary approach. Moreover, studying these issues through an India lens provides a basis for rethinking disciplinary and interdisciplinary debates, as showcased in the Aii s Question Marks seminar series. This strategy document sets out five directions that the Institute will pursue over the next five years to realise our mission: Building research on India in Australia, especially on key challenges related to education, health, infrastructure, as well as governance and security, and doing so in ways that accord with our principles of respect, trust, and welfare Developing long-term research capacity on India at Australian universities, with a particular focus on being an incubator for PhD and post-doctoral research, and partnering closely with counterpart institutions in India Increasing opportunities for two-way mobility, collaboration, and knowledge exchange between students, researchers, and educators in India and Australia Facilitating dialogues, roundtables, and partnerships between leaders in government, business, research, and youth around our four themes in order to advance understanding and effect change in practice Partnering with the Indian diaspora in Australia to leverage and strengthen social and cultural links between both countries The Strategy also identifies how these different directions support one another, via an encompassing interest in building Generation Australia-India. Programs involving students, young people, early career researchers, and young entrepreneurs across the Australia- India boundary are synergistic. Our strategy builds on the foundation laid over the past decade. Much of the activity signalled in this strategy document is well under way. But the Aii will do a great deal more through partnering with stakeholders who share the same goals. Professor Craig Jeffrey January 2019 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 3

4 VISION To become the leading centre for engaged research on contemporary India outside the subcontinent and to do so through building Australia s capacity for Indiarelated research that addresses key social, political and environmental challenges. 4 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

5 We will know that we have been successful in our aspirations if, by 2024, the Aii is globally renowned for deepening understanding of India through: Inspiring and producing rigorous research Building long-term capacity in Australia for engagement with India Enabling better policy-making in relation to India in Australia Encouraging two-way mobility between Australia and India Engaging with business and community partners Our vision connects to the emphasis of the Victorian Government s India Strategy on building connections with India as a basis for increasing prosperity. The Institute s vision also links closely with the recent India Economic Strategy 2035 produced by Mr Peter Varghese AO, which explicitly recognises the importance of the Aii as an enabler of bilateral relations. BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 5

6 STRATEGIC DIRECTION The Aii has adopted Five Strategic Directions to establish itself as one of the world s leading centres for engaged research on India. Direction 1: Producing curiosity-driven and applied research on India with a focus on the four key themes of education, health, infrastructure, and governance and security, which are closely connected to major challenges facing India and Australia; Direction 2: Building long-term research capacity on India in Australia through the creation of new doctoral and post-doctoral positions based at Australian universities, as well as supporting graduate students and early career researchers who work on India in Australia; Direction 3: Convening dialogues between government, business, and the community, including the Australia India Leadership Dialogue, roundtables, and boardroom briefings; Direction 4: Encouraging two-way mobility and understanding between Australia and India; Direction 5: Strengthening social and cultural links between people in India and Australia, by working with the Indian diaspora in Australia. 6 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

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8 DIRECTION 1: PRODUCING WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH ON INDIA By 2024, the Aii will be a global leader in Indian knowledge and expertise, known for the quality and impact of its research and successful work in the teaching arena. Australia disinvested in the study of India during the 1960s, but the 2010s have been a period of renewal. In the decade since its establishment in 2008, the Australia India Institute has become a leading global centre for engaged research on contemporary India. Aii researchers are prioritising applied, problem-centred research and activating that research to impact thinking and practice in Australia and India. The Aii has identified four key themes around which it will organise its research activity in the period between 2019 and These are education, health, infrastructure, and governance and security. These four themes intersect with sectors identified by the Australian Government and State governments as critical points of engagement. They are also sectors that the Indian Government is prioritising in terms of international collaboration. The Institute is also interested in supporting work on three key topics that cross-cut the four themes: youth, inequality, and the Indian Ocean as an economic, political, environment and cultural entity. Having established an enviable reputation for leading research and discussion on India and the Australia-India relationship, the Aii is well-placed to support the University of Melbourne and other partner universities across Australia in identifying sources of funding and encouraging funding applications on India-related topics. The Institute will enhance this capacity through the development of a series of advisory positions that leverage the collective strengths of scholars working on India in Australia. Four adjunct positions at the University of Melbourne will work to support academic cooperation and collaboration across the four themes within the University of Melbourne and with academic leads at Aii Affiliate Centres. The Aii s research is valued by government stakeholders and plays a role in shaping policy development and transforming practice. The Institute receives funding from the Department of Education and Training (DET) in Australia to conduct applied research on education across the Australia-India boundary. Some key outcomes include substantial research reports on education and the bilateral relationship, roundtables, policy briefs, and research papers. The Victorian Government also funds the Aii to conduct policy and business-relevant research, particularly investigating the Indian diaspora s contribution to expanding commercial activity between the two countries. Our research was instrumental in shaping Victoria s India Strategy, launched in early The Aii will consolidate its reputation for delivering value to DET and the Victorian Government over the next five years by further developing its capacity across the four key themes in close partnership with Aii@Delhi and its Affiliate Centres in Australia. The Institute s Fellows will be critical partners in this endeavour. 8 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

9 STRATEGIC POSITION TODAY WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING Conducting research for government on the Australia-India relationship. Applying for competitive grant income and publishing in top journals and university presses. Convening industry sector roundtables bringing research, government, and industry together to address major social and economic challenges of our time. Drafting policy briefs on priority sectors to make recommendations in relation to key issues facing contemporary India and the Australia-India relationship. Hosting academic seminars and public lectures to disseminate knowledge from some of the world s best thinkers on India. STRATEGIC POSITION TOMORROW - WHAT THE Aii WILL ADDITIONALLY DO Strengthening the core Focus and organise our research activity around four key themes education, health, infrastructure, as well as governance and security. Expand our role in catalysing research through deepening our connections with faculty, research councils, foundations, and industry in Australia and globally. Develop adjunct senior research positions to attract talented scholars to the Aii and catalyse enhanced India research engagement at the University of Melbourne and more broadly. Continue to lead public discussion of India via editorials, podcasts, and social media. Driving a step change Develop a Centre for Contemporary India at the University of Melbourne. Introduce a breadth subject accessible to any undergraduate student at the University of Melbourne on Grand Challenges in India, China and Indonesia as part of an effort to build a Generation Australia-India. This will be complemented by India subjects at different levels and India modules that can be inserted in existing programs. Develop Affiliate Centres of the Aii at the University of New South Wales, La Trobe University, the University of Western Australia, and other Australian universities that support New Generation Network scholars. These will host an Aii presence on campus and lead to the development of large collaborative research bids such as an ARC Centre of Excellence bid in Increase our work in the policy arena through expanding initiatives such as the Very Short Policy Brief series and supporting early career researchers in obtaining policy experience as part of building Generation Australia-India and linking with Direction 2. Strategic enabler for change The development of a mechanism for the Institute to receive Category I research income and teaching income BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 9

10 DIRECTION 2: BUILDING LONG-TERM RESEARCH CAPACITY ON INDIA IN AUSTRALIA By 2024, the Aii will be recognised as having supported a range of early career scholars who are conducting interdisciplinary, problem-centred research related to key challenges facing India and Australia. The New Generation Network (NGN) is a ground-breaking network of postdoctoral fellows researching aspects of contemporary India. These scholars will form the cornerstone of the Aii s effort to build Generation Australia-India and renew India-related research in Australia. The Network supports the Institute s mission of promoting innovative world-class research on contemporary India. Since the launch of the NGN in 2015, eight participating Australian universities have invested $4.5 million to support 14 scholars. NGN scholars focus on applying interdisciplinary research to solve societal problems, building on the Aii s principles of respect, trust, and welfare. This includes applied research on waste recycling, gendered domestic violence in Australia and India, food security and agricultural transformation in India, and the limits and potential of the new unique identifier program in India. The network will be enlarged to encompass PhD researchers at the University of Melbourne and the Aii s nodal universities, who will thereby benefit from the community-building, interdisciplinarity, and peer mentoring that is characteristic of the NGN. By the end of 2020, the aim is to have a thriving NGN alumni network and an established model for resourcing the infrastructure that supports the network. The emphasis will be on training NGN scholars and partnering with non-academic institutions in this effort. There may also be opportunities to expand the NGN internationally, for example in India, the UK, Singapore and US. In addition, the Aii will expand its role in providing intellectual support to PhD students by developing an intellectual home for those students working on India and by hosting Early Career Researcher conferences, building on the idea of India as a type of discipline itself that cross-cuts other fields. These networks will be headquartered in Melbourne but will include the Institute s Affiliate Centres. The Varghese India Economic Strategy to 2035 commends the NGN as a crucial dimension of the emerging bilateral relationship in the education and research area. New commitments are currently being negotiated with Australian universities, and opportunities for NGN scholars in India are also being explored. 10 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

11 STRATEGIC POSITION TODAY WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING Fostering the next generation of thought leaders on India to work on common problems faced by Australia and India through the NGN program. Delivering biannual NGN retreats. Providing academic mentorship to the network. STRATEGIC POSITION TOMORROW - WHAT THE Aii WILL ADDITIONALLY DO Strengthening the core Expand professional development opportunities for NGN scholars, with a focus on business, media, and policy engagement. Deliver an annual Early Career Researcher conference for academics working on India, and partnering with universities, government, and industry. Driving a step change Grow the number of NGN scholars in partnership with Australian universities and institutions internationally. Develop models for PhD NGN scholars. Expand the role of the Aii in providing intellectual support and training to PhD students. Strategic enabler for step change Support for the Aii to partially host PhD students at the University of Melbourne BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 11

12 DIRECTION 3: CONVENING DIALOGUES AND PARTNERSHIPS By 2024, the Australia India Leadership Dialogue (AILD) will have solidified its role as the leading bilateral forum for track two diplomacy. The Aii will also have leveraged the AILD to develop other related events and partnerships with business and government. Established in 2015, the AILD brings together leading figures from business, public life, civil society, and the media to discuss themes of fundamental importance to India and Australia. Past topics have covered issues of governance, geopolitics, water security, trade, economics and business, education, and health. The Dialogue supports broad bilateral engagement by creating an environment in which relationship-building takes place. It also provides a forum to generate ideas that will guide trade and investment, economic policy, and social and cultural interchanges into the future. With current funding due to expire after the 2019 Dialogue, there is an opportunity to shape the long-term future of the Dialogue in consultation with new funding partners. Measures to increase the impact of the Dialogue may include an extended two-day program, strengthened business-to-business opportunities, and an annual calendar of events under the AILD banner that build up to the principal event. The success of the Dialogue will be evidenced in policy developments, closer relations between key stakeholders in both countries, and enhanced understanding of national priorities and issues on both sides by government, business, and the wider community. The AILD includes discussion of the shared challenges and opportunities facing both Australia and India in the foreign and security policy landscape. The Dialogue will strengthen this focus in the next five years. STRATEGIC POSITION TODAY WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING Delivering an annual AILD in India and Australia. Enrolling senior government and business representatives from India and Australia in the AILD. STRATEGIC POSITION TOMORROW - WHAT THE Aii WILL ADDITIONALLY DO Strengthening the core Review the format of AILD through strategic stakeholder engagement and develop an annual program to increase its profile and impact. Expand business involvement in the AILD and work to develop the presence of senior government representatives on the Indian side. Driving a step change Guarantee the long-term future of the AILD and enrol Early Career Researchers more centrally into the activity of the AILD. Support the development of a new Premier of Victoria Relationship Dialogue between Victoria and India that will enable informal dialogue between key business, government and civil society representatives in Victoria and India. Strategic enabler for step change Seed funding for new program officers at the Aii and Aii@Delhi to support government and business engagement beyond the scope of existing projects in ways that leverage the basic research being undertaken by the Institute (Directions 1 and 2). 12 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

13 DIRECTION 4: ENCOURAGING CROSS-NATIONAL MOBILITY AND UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND INDIA By 2024, the Aii and will work together to enhance two-way mobility between India and Australia. The Aii is closely involved in fostering two-way mobility between India and Australia, for example via the Victoria India Doctoral Scholarships Program, Victoria India Internship Program, and the support it offers to New Colombo Plan (NCP) programs and Department of Education and Training. Building on the existing work of the Aii and we will expand this activity in the next five years, for example through supporting the University of Melbourne s Melbourne India Postgraduate Academy (MIPA), providing pre-departure briefings for NCP students and in-country support, and strengthening our internship program. The Aii@Delhi will further develop its functions as an enabler of researcher mobility between Australia and India. It will further expand the support it provides to the University of Melbourne, through supporting visiting fellowship programs run by faculties, running events for University of Melbourne alumni in India, holding networking events in India for MIPA students and alumni, serving as a hub for Indian scholars seeking to network with visiting Australian academics, and assisting in the University of Melbourne s research and engagement effort in South Asia in other ways, for example through its current work with Election Watch. In addition, the Aii@Delhi will develop strategic and closely delineated partnerships with a selected range of other Australian universities often building on existing links to provide support to Australian faculty and students seeking to engage with India. Students, faculty and administrators often experience difficulties in establishing research and connections in India. There is considerable evidence that the challenge of India dissuades some students and faculty from engaging with the country, for example reflected in very low numbers of New Colombo Plan students travelling to India for long-term stays. To address these issues, the Aii and Aii@Delhi will provide information about working, studying, and living in India. In playing these roles for the University of Melbourne and other universities via a sponsorship model the Aii@Delhi will provide continuity and leverage to bilateral initiatives such as the New Colombo Plan and economic partnerships between India and Australia. It will also contribute directly to the Commonwealth Government of Australia s International Education Strategy. STRATEGIC POSITION TODAY WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING Providing assistance to visiting delegations from the University of Melbourne and Australian universities in India within Australia via Aii and in India through the Aii@Delhi. Offering incoming fellowships to visiting Australian academics. Administering the Victoria India Doctoral Scholarship Program. Administering the Victoria India Internship Program. STRATEGIC POSITION TOMORROW - WHAT THE Aii WILL ADDITIONALLY DO Strengthening the core activity that is possible with existing resources Expand the function of Aii@Delhi in providing support for faculty and students at the University of Melbourne. Driving a step change activity that requires obtaining additional resources Develop Aii@Delhi s role in supporting faculty and students across Australian universities. Explore possibilities for Aii@Delhi to assist entrepreneurs, policymakers, and practitioners visiting India. Develop study abroad programs in India and expand the Institute s work on internships. Work with the University of Melbourne to develop a partner schools program in India. Work with the Victorian Government and Asialink on a Women in Leadership program at Indian and Australian schools. Develop and implement a sponsorship model for universities across Australia to resource the expanded role for Aii@Delhi and explore possibilities for corporate support. Strategic enabler for step change A means of delineating the Aii@Delhi s work for the University of Melbourne vis-à-vis the support it provides to Australian universities providing sponsorship. BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 13

14 DIRECTION 5: STRENGTHENING SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LINKS BETWEEN PEOPLE IN INDIA AND AUSTRALIA By 2024, the Aii will have considerably advanced its role in developing social and cultural connections across the Australia-India boundary, with a particular focus on enrolling the Indian diaspora in the work of the Aii. The India Economic Strategy to 2035 identifies people-to-people ties as the most significant asset to the Australia-India relationship, and identifies the Aii as a key element in the people-to-people bilateral architecture. The Aii is already a platform for developing people-to-people links, especially through leveraging its research to inform and engage diverse audiences. It runs a program of events, some of them explicitly targeted towards the Indian diaspora. These include an annual India Week, links with student organisations representing the South Asian diaspora in Victoria, and regular chai sessions aimed at fostering a sense of community among those with a South Asia interest in Melbourne. The Aii is well-placed to bolster the reputation and visibility of Australia in India, increase understanding of the importance of India within Australia, and provide a resource and hub for members of the Indian diaspora in Australia, especially young people and students. 14 BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES

15 STRATEGIC POSITION TODAY WHAT WE ARE ALREADY DOING Developing intellectual and social events of interest to the South Asian diaspora community in Australia, including high profile lectures, regular seminars, networking events, podcasts, and blogs. Attracting high profile Indian visitors and thought leaders on India to Australia. Serving as a social base for students of Indian or South Asian origin at Victorian universities, connecting with its goal of supporting Generation Australia-India and intersecting with its work with early career researchers. Organising an annual India Week that engages with the community in Melbourne intellectually, socially, and culturally. STRATEGIC POSITION TOMORROW - WHAT THE Aii WILL ADDITIONALLY DO Strengthening the core Develop Generation Australia-India global mixers that bring together alumni of Victorian universities, the Australia India Youth Dialogue, New Generation Network, Victoria India Doctoral Scholars, and similar programs in order to facilitate networking and spark collaborative projects that build the bilateral relationship. These will be run in Australia and India. Expand India Week into a multi-city event including an opening gala dinner, sporting and cultural events, and intellectual activities. These will bring together academics, businesspeople, government figures, and community leaders to discuss and promote India understanding and collaboration with India to address key challenges. Driving a step change Work with the Victorian College of the Arts, Creative Victoria, Victoria s Multicultural Commission and other organisations to expand the capacity of the Aii to promote the bilateral relationship with India via a focus on new developments in cultural practice. Develop a wide range of diaspora roundtable events that involve this community in the work of the Aii across scholarship, government policy work, and business engagement. Seek philanthropic and corporate support for an expanded set of social and cultural activities linked to the Aii s key research themes. Strategic enabler for step change Sponsorship for social and cultural events. BUILDING CAPACITY TO ADDRESS KEY CHALLENGES 15

16 Australia India Institute 149 Barry Street, The University of Melbourne, Carlton VIC aii-melbourne@unimelb.edu.au