Australian university partners with IIM Mumbai and IIT/ISM Dhanbad to expand mining sector opportunities

The University of Western Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding with IIM Mumbai and IIT/ISM Dhanbad to explore new opportunities in the mining sector, emphasizing logistics and sustainability.

“We are signing an MoU with IIM Mumbai and the Indian Institute of Technology/Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad to work on unlocking new opportunities in mining with a focus on logistics and sustainability,” UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma said.

He added that around 10 micro-credential online courses will be launched initially, followed by the development of additional programs tailored to industry needs.

“These programs are designed to support India’s clean energy transition, strengthen supply chain resilience, and elevate the country’s mineral workforce with global best practices,” Chakma said.

“These partnerships will create new pathways for joint research, executive education, and industry-driven collaboration in areas such as mining, logistics, automation, geo-sciences and sustainability,” Chakma added.

UWA is also establishing campuses in Mumbai and Chennai, along with collaborative centers in partnership with Telangana University, Visakhapatnam.

“We are setting up campuses in Mumbai and Chennai, which are expected to open their doors sometime in 2026, hopefully by July-August. The Mumbai campus will mainly focus on business and IT, while the Chennai campus will be more on technology and IT,” he said.

The university is further collaborating with Centurion University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, to offer micro-credential courses aimed at reducing the skill gap in the mining sector, Chakma highlighted.

In addition, UWA plans to launch a nationwide Sports Immersion Program anchored by a state-of-the-art Sports Science Hub at its Chennai campus.

Developed in partnership with Avid Sports and the Chennai Bulls, the initiative will bring Australian high-performance sport science expertise to Indian athletes, coaches, institutes, and sports communities.

“Through immersion programs, analytics training, biomechanics insights, and pathways that integrate academic learning with real-world sports environments, the program aims to transform India’s growing sports ecosystem,” Chakma said.

“The initiative has already attracted attention from leading sports bodies committed to embedding scientific training at both elite and grassroots levels,” he added.