Chandigarh, Nov 27 (PTI) A delegation from a consortium of six top universities in Australia on wednesday expressed a strong interest in setting up a campus in Gurugram to offer undergraduate courses, said a Haryana government statement.

The delegation was led by Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission Nick McCaffrey and it met Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini here.

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The Australian delegation also included Mathew Johnston, Minister Counsellor, Education and Research, Australian High Commission; Prof Simon Biggs, IRU Chair and Vice Chancellor and President, James Cook University; and representatives of the universities.

Earlier this year, The Innovative Research Universities (IRU) had announced Professor Simon Biggs, Vice-Chancellor and President of James Cook University, as the group's Chair for 2024-2025.

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Haryana Chief Minister Saini welcomed the delegation and assured them of the full support and cooperation of the state government, including providing an existing building to start the campus and all other necessary facilities.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will soon be signed in this regard, the statement said.

The chief minister stated that the Haryana government's Foreign Cooperation Department will be coordinating further according to the requirements of the IRUs of Australia.

With the establishment of the campus, students will no longer need to travel to Australia, as they will be able to pursue undergraduate courses right here in Haryana, the state government statement further said.

"Upon completing their studies, they will receive a certificate from the Australian university, which will open doors to lucrative job opportunities not only in Haryana but globally. This initiative will help students from Haryana save on hefty tuition fees and other expenses associated with studying abroad.

"After Class 12, students on this campus will have the opportunity to pursue four-year integrated courses in software engineering, cyber security, Artificial Intelligence (AI), financial technology, tourism and hospitality, and sports management. The range of courses will be gradually expanded in alignment with the evolving needs of the state and the community," it said.

According to the statement, the delegation also congratulated Chief Minister Saini on the "stupendous victory" of the BJP in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections held in October.

Nick McCaffrey stated that since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened new doors for mutual cooperation between India and Australia, with the education sector being the largest area of collaboration.

The delegation was informed that Haryana is celebrating International Gita Mahotsav with partner country Tanzania this year whereas Australia was the partner country of Haryana last year.

After the meeting, the chief minister presented a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to the members of the delegation as a mark of respect.

Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi, Chief Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar; Principal Secretary Higher Education Department D Suresh; Adviser Foreign Cooperation Department, Pawan Chaudhary; and Vice Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak Prof Rajbir Lohan were also present in the meeting.

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