Victoria University will acquire some of China’s brightest PhD researchers under a new partnership with the China Scholarship Council.
The Council provides scholarships for outstanding Chinese students to conduct research at some of the world’s top universities.
VU Vice-Chancellor Peter Dawkins and representatives from the Council today signed an agreement in the presence of the Chinese Consul General to send some of these students to VU.
The agreement is based on the University’s recent strong performance in the government’s Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) rankings.
In the last round of rankings, the ERA rated 15 of VU’s research areas to be at world standard or above.
Starting in mid-2016, VU will host up to 10 Chinese PhD students a year in one of VU’s research focus areas, which include:
- applied informatics
- health and biomedicine
- sport and exercise science
- engineering, sustainability and innovation
and many more disciplines.
VU will fund the researchers’ tuition while the Council funds their living costs for up to four years.
VU Research Pro Vice-Chancellor Warren Payne said VU already has strong links with China, and the partnership provides opportunities for further collaboration.
“We can now attract the best of the best students from China,” he said.
“They can immerse themselves in VU’s research environment, add to our academic and alumni networks, and extend VU’s research strength.”
The partnership also deepens the University’s long-established teaching links with China.
VU is an Australian leader in transnational education with China through its partnerships with Universities such as Liaoning University in Shenyang, Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, Shandong Jianzhu University in Jinan, and Henan University in Kaifeng.
