Australia and India have a rich, shared history, underpinned by our strong bilateral higher education and research links.
Ms Jackson said the visit provides an opportunity to cement higher education鈥檚 position at the centre of our trade agenda with India by forging deeper and stronger partnerships.
鈥淚 am delighted to be representing universities as part of this important visit to one of our key trading partners and I look forward to putting our sector front and centre of discussions,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淎ustralia is a major exporting nation and international education is one of our biggest export earners, contributing significantly to our bottom line. Education is the biggest export we don鈥檛 source from the ground.
鈥淥ur world-class universities generate the export dollars that help pay for the essential services all Australians rely on 鈥 like hospitals, schools, and Medicare.
鈥淚t鈥檚 in our national interest to export more of what pays our way, and we can do that by educating more Indian students in Australia and through our universities having a physical presence in India.
鈥淭here is mutual benefit in doing this. International education drives economic growth in Australia and strengthens our social fabric. When students return home, they have the skills and knowledge to make a positive contribution in their own country.
鈥淲e must also look at ways to grow our research links. Our universities are already connected by more than 450 partnerships, through which researchers are working together to solve complex challenges, embrace new opportunities and prepare us for the future.
鈥淒eepening our ties is vital as our nations drive ahead in a changing global environment.鈥
Australia is one of the world鈥檚 largest providers of international education and India is our second largest source market for students, accounting for 16.3 per cent of enrolments in 2022.
In 2019, Indian students studying in Australia contributed more than $6.4 billion to our economy.
Ms Jackson said the recently signed trade deal between Australia and India, as well as India鈥檚 National Education Policy, is helping unlock the full potential of our education relationship.
鈥淲e have only just hosted India鈥檚 Education Minister in Australia, so there is clearly a strong appetite for education to play a greater role in the Australia-India relationship,鈥 Ms Jackson said.
鈥淲ith one million Indians turning 18 every month, there is huge demand for a high-quality education and Australia stands ready to partner more closely with India to achieve our shared education goals.
鈥淯niversities look forward to working closely with government and industry 鈥 at home and in India 鈥 to forge new and stronger trade links through education for the benefit of both of our nations.鈥
The delegation will travel to India as part of the Australian Government鈥檚 Australia India Business Exchange Mission 2022 from 26-30 September 2022.
