The University of Sydney is partnering with the research and development arm of a leading Indian company in order to provide students with real-world experience through the newly developed Industry and Community Projects Units (ICPU).
According to a recent press release, partnering with Makers Lab is the key to giving the students a better understanding of the region.
Moreover, it will provide the students with the experience of working in an international company.
Introduced as part of a revamp to the undergraduate curriculum at the University, ICPUs are units of study based around authentic problems set out by industry, community and government organisations.
Interdisciplinary groups of students experience and contribute to projects across a broad range of areas including community development, law, technology, farming, sustainability, banking and health.
These projects bring students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds together to research, analyse and present solutions to real-world problems.
The students are being equipped with the skills they need for the jobs of the future.
The country is firmly in the Asian century with Australia’s future closely interlinked with Asia.
The four-week long units will see student groups work with an academic supervisor and industry experts on problems around artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR), and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the Indian company’s Makers Lab.
Through this collaboration with academia, industry and business, the University hopes to build a workforce of the future.
They have envisioned creating a talent pool that is more in tune with the practical insights around disruptive technologies, can benefit the Australian market, and enable the Indian company to spot young talent.
This collaboration with the Indian company makes it the first ICPU industry partnership in India. The signed agreement is a continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with the company in March 2018 to collaborate in two key areas.
- Joint research projects in areas like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, blockchain technology, data analytics and security and virtual reality.
- Partnership for experiential learning.
There are several ICPU projects that have been done with other industry partners.
These include technology disruption through autonomous vehicles; the impact of drone on air travel; and impact of artificial intelligence on banking.
To add, other projects are using cognitive computing and AI to anticipate product-preference; medical education through immersive technologies; and millennials and the future of work.
The initiative has been enthusiastically received by both industry and students, and to date 1000 students have been involved in 35 projects.
Meanwhile, the University will be hosting a year-long Global Forum called ‘Future Insecurity’ that will bring leading cyber security thinkers to Sydney.
As reported, the forum is designed to investigate the most pernicious use of digital networks, including industry, military, media, political, intelligence networks and international institutions that impact peace and security.
It will look into how the malicious use of digital networks by state and other global actors is producing a new precariousness in global politics.
The first Future Insecurity event, “Tracking digital espionage”, will investigate the hidden surveillance systems used to spy on civil society.