AP Minister for Education, IT and Electronics Nara Lokesh, who is now on an official tour in Australia, appealed Griffith University Vice President (Global) Marnie Watson to set up her university campus in AP. He was impressed about the functioning of the university, after visiting their Gold Coast campus along with her.
Minister Lokesh inspected the state-of-the-art sports facilities at the University Sports College. Giving details about the specialties of Griffith University, Marnie Watson said that her university, established in 1975, is one of the top public universities in the world. She said that more than 50,000 students are studying in the five campuses of the university in Queensland.
She said that her university, which is known for the fields of social justice, sustainability and innovation, is going to open a new campus in the Brisbane CBD in 2027. She said that she is doing academic partnerships with IIT Roorkee in India in the fields of joint research, student exchange programs, health, water resources and technology.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Nara Lokesh proposed to take initiative to formulate a partnership of Andhra Pradesh-Griffith University for joint programs in the areas of public policy, sustainability, and innovation. Establish a Griffith University India Center or Hub in Andhra Pradesh to coordinate research, student exchange, and awareness programs.
Partner with Andhra Pradesh universities and APSSDC (Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation) for syllabus design, skill certification, and global academic standards. Initiate joint research projects in the areas of renewable energy, climate resilience, public health, and water management.
Develop dual-degree or twinning programs between Griffith University and leading educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh. (Ex: SRM–AP, Andhra University, VIT–AP), he added.
He sought to promote exchange programs for scholarships, faculty, and student development). Attend the Partnership Summit – 2025 and Andhra Pradesh Global Education Forum meetings to be held in AP on November 14-15 this year. Minister Lokesh appealed to Griffith University to work with the Andhra Pradesh Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to support innovation and startups.