Mr N R Narayana Murthy, Dr Ramesh
Mashelkar, Professor Alan Finkel,
Prof Devang Khakhar, Professor
Ed Byrne, Dr Naushad Forbes,
Mr Shyam Saran address the summit

The Future Challenges Summit took place on October 3  2009. This event, which was held at The Trident Hotel, Mumbai, was attended by nearly 100 top-level executives and leaders from industry and government. It also included some of our current students, supervisors and Board members. The Summit addressed and attempted to understand the key Future Grand Challenges facing India and Australia and how The Academy and its researchers can focus their efforts on addressing these challenges.

To view recent media coverage from the Future Challenges Summit visit "In the Media" - click here.

Monash has one of the largest international student populations of all Australian universities, with around 18,000 of its 56,000 students born overseas. The safety of all our students is paramount and although no Monash student has been a victim in recent attacks, I urge all students be careful after the recent rise in attacks on Indian students in Melbourne.  We value the happy, mutually supportive multicultural environment at Monash and will do everything we can to further enhance this.

We seek to create a safe environment at all of our campuses. University Security on every campus is available for immediate response to threatening situations. The 24-hour on-campus emergency number is (03) 9905 3333, or extension 333 from any internal phone. If you encounter a threatening situation off-campus, Victoria Police can be contacted by telephone on 000.

For help in non-urgent situations, Monash has established a Community Care Line as part of its commitment to providing a safe study environment.  You can call the Community Care Line to seek assistance in managing situations where your wellbeing is affected by inappropriate, threatening or concerning behaviours or events. The Community Care Line is staffed from 9am to 5pm Monday-Friday, and can be reached by phoning (03) 9905 1599or emailing: communitycare@adm.monash.edu.au

In addition we endeavour to provide information about personal safety in the community. At the start of each semester two members of the Victoria Police Multicultural Liaison Unit address international students on safety within the community. This week, the University’s Crime Prevention coordinator, Craig Mentiplay, will be available to answer questions about personal safety and reporting incidents to the Police at two special information sessions, details below. Students who cannot attend are encouraged to email Craig directly with questions at craig.mentiplay@adm.monash.edu.au

Information session (Clayton): Thursday 4^th June, 2pm
Health, Wellbeing and Development seminar room, level 1, western end Campus Centre

Information session (Caulfield): Friday 5^th June, 2pm
Lecture theatre A2.05, level 2, A building

You may have all heard of the recent incidents of violence against Indian students in the City of Melbourne. Along with our own resident Indian students and staff, we at Monash University condemn such incidents. 

Melbourne is and has always been regarded as a safe city. It is a culturally diverse city that embraces people from all nations and treats people with dignity and respect. Melbournians are proud of the city's reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world. Yet, the recent events show the city in poor light.  

Given that several of you will be travelling to Monash University in Melbourne in the next year or so, it is likely that you and your families may be concerned about your personal safety and well-being at a time like this.  

Please do assure them that Monash Unviersity will take all steps to ensure student and staff safety at Monash.  

Monash University has a comprehensive security plan that includes emergency telephone numbers, constant vigilance on campus, the presence and availability of a 24-hour security escort service, "red" emergency phones within buildings, security help points, CCTV in certain locations on campus and a security bus service.  

While we cannot ignore these recent events and while we would like to believe that these are stray incidents, we would like to reiterate that Monash University takes the security, safety and well-being of its students very seriously.  

No student or staff member should ever be denied the right to feel safe and secure at Monash or anywhere in Melbourne or Australia. We would like all of our students to return to India with pleasant memories of a productive, safe and happy stay.  

Should you wish to talk to Professor Tam Sridhar or to me about your concerns when we are there in Mumbai next week about this and other issues, please seek a time for an appointment with Ms Anasuya Banerji.

I am sure you are aware of the recent events in Melbourne concerning Indian students. I also understand that you would be deeply concerned by this.

I write to assure you that Monash University is doing everything possible to ensure that authorities deal quickly with this unfortunate outbreak of violence. I attach messages that our VC and the VC of Melbourne University have sent. I also attach a letter that I sent to the Indian High Commissioner and a letter that has been sent to Indian newspapers by our Dean of Engineering.

While we feel helpless that the fair image of Melbourne is tarnished by these episodes, we are confident that the situation will return to normal soon. Our confidence stems from the fact that agencies like Victoria Police have increased their presence at public places. Moreover, we are confident that the Task Force that has been called by Education Minister Julia Gillard should get to the bottom of the key issues at play here. Monash is proud of its happy and safe multicultural environment. There have been no significant racist or violent incidents involving any of our students from India. Our campuses have excellent security and our students are fully informed about their personal safety. They report very high levels of satisfaction with their educational and social experience at Monash and in Australia. We are determined to protect our reputation in this area.

If you would like to talk to me about this or have particular suggestions/strategies that you believe we should pursue, please let me know and I will call you.

After the Board Meeting, The Academy also had the Third Research Advisory Council meeting. Since Mr Narayana Murthy, the Chair of the Advisory Council, wasn’t able to be there, this meeting was chaired by Dr Ramesh Masheklar. Mr Narayana Murthy (Infosys) is the Chairman of the Research Advisory Council. The other members include Dr. Pawan Goenka (Mahindra & Mahindra), Mr. Prasad Menon (Tata Power),  Dr V. Rao Aiyagiri (Department of Science and Technology),  Sir Gus Nossal (Former President of the Australian Academy of Sciences), Dr Ramesh Mashelkar (Former Director-General CSIR) and Dr Edwin van Leeuwen (BHP Billiton). 

The immediate past Director of IIT, Professor Ashok Misra was formally acknowledged for his contributions during the set up phase of The Academy.

During the Board and the Research Advisory Council meetings, faculty and staff that had made the trip from Australia formally met with their IIT counterparts. They were all welcomed and taken around IIT facilities. The respective faculty therefore had opportunities to further explore potential areas of research collaboration.

All participants then assembled in the beautifully decorated Gulmohar Hall for the Press Meet. During the Press Meet, The Academy Joint Venture documents were exchanged by Professor Richard Larkins, AO (Vice Chancellor and President Monash University) and Professor Juzer Vasi (Acting Dierctor IIT Bombay).

Professor Richard Larkins said, “The opening of the Academy ushers a new era of Indian and Australian scientific relations. This will lead to high impact research outcomes that will deliver a range of tangible economic benefits and long lasting societal benefits for both countries and the global community.”

Professor Juzer Vasi, said: “This is a major initiative for us. IIT Bombay and Monash University, through the Academy will be able to respond to the needs of the industry and society in India, Australia and elsewhere, and tackle the research challenges that lie ahead.”

We heard that, after admitting the first batch of 18 students, The Academy has already received over 950 applications for the second intake in December 2008. The expectation is that 15-20 students will be selected. “Of these 900 applications, more than 20 are IIT graduates. To be able to retain them in India is important and this Academy has provided a great opportunity to do so,” said RA Mashelkar, member of Advisory Council of The Academy.

A banquet style lunch put on by IIT Bombay provided the forum for further networking opportunities. This was then followed by the formal opening ceremony that took place at the FC Kohli auditorium, IIT Bombay. The formal opening ceremony was witnessed by His Excellency John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India, and by Professor M. M. Sharma, noted Indian scientist.

The formal opening ceremony included speeches from Professor Richard Larkins and Professor Juzer Vasi.  Professor Pradipta Banerji, Dean Alumni and International Relations, IIT Bombay provided the IITB perspective of the relationship between the two institutions. While Professor Tam Sridhar, Dean of Engineering, Monash University also provided a presentation on the Academy; its objectives and intended structure.

Those that had contributed significantly in the set up of the Academy were formally acknowledged. The overall benefits of the linkages formed by the Academy for both countries were also discussed.

A traditional India lamp lighting ceremony took place followed by the unveiling of the Academy plaque. The plaque will be incorporated into the new Academy building scheduled to commence building within the next few months. The opening ceremony concluded with the exchange of traditional gifts between the leaders of Monash University and IIT Bombay.

In the evening, festivities continued at The Renaissance Hotel, Powai, where over 100 people assembled for a formal dinner. The guests listened to a speech from the His Excellency John McCarthy, Australian High Commissioner to India. His talk “On the importance of Aus-India links especially in Science and Technology & education” discussed how The Academy would provide much needed linkages between India and Australia in the research sector. This was followed by a reply from Ms Anita Nayar, Indian Consul General, Victoria, Australia.

The formal opening of The Academy represents the culmination of significant efforts over a period of 24 months on the part of both institutions and represents a new chapter of Australian-India scientific relations.