UNSW’s commitment to creating opportunities that connect UNSW with learners and institutions around the world underpins our global engagement.
UNSW is committed to being a globally engaged university leveraging our research, education, and partnerships to create positive societal impact across borders. The University Office of Global Affairs (UOGA) in the Vice Chancellor’s Office plays a central role in this mission, acting as a catalyst for international collaboration and impact, and as a convener of global conversations.
The University has recently refreshed its Global Strategy, aligned with UNSW’s overarching strategy of Progress for All with a distinct relevance to Pillar 3: Convene across sectors and build networks locally and globally.
Over the next decade, UNSW will:
- lead in global education, research and partnerships, positioning UNSW as a trusted voice in international forums
- champion equity, sustainability and real-world impact in all global collaborations
- advance global resilience and prosperity by working with universities, industry, governments and communities worldwide.
To better reflect the breadth and ambition of our global engagement, the work area formerly known as Transnational Education (TNE) will now be called Global Education Initiatives (GEI).
“Our focus on delivering high-quality education with international partners remains unchanged,” said Professor Colin Grant, Deputy Vice Chancellor Global. “The change captures the wide scope of the activities, diversity of collaborations and the University’s commitment to creating opportunities that connect UNSW with learners and institutions around the world.”
Global Education Initiatives abroad
Since its inception in 2023, UOGA has launched several funding initiatives and projects as part of the University’s Global Strategy, with partners in countries including China, Fiji, India, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, European Union, the Americas and Timor-Leste.
That portfolio could soon expand with the University well-progressed in plans to open its first overseas campus in India in 2026. This initiative aims to make UNSW’s world-leading education accessible to thousands more Indian students. With enrolments commencing in August 2026, UNSW is set to be the highest-ranked university in the world to open a campus in India.
It's an important milestone aligning with UNSW Strategy: Progress for All which commits to delivering global impact through the expansion of the University’s transnational education offering in key regions.
“UNSW’s proposed campus in India represents an exciting opportunity to deepen our engagement and extend the reach of our world-class education,” Prof. Grant said. “While plans are still progressing and yet to be fully approved, this initiative reflects our commitment to inclusive global impact and aligns strongly with our UNSW Strategy: Progress for All. It’s a significant step towards expanding our global education initiatives footprint in a region of strategic importance.”
Key appointments to drive global strategy
UOGA has also announced updates to key initiatives, including recent appointments to help drive the global strategy forward.
In July, the UOGA welcomed Associate Professor Nicole Gardner as academic lead for global education initiatives. Nicole joined us with a wealth of experience from the School of Built Environment, where she was program director for Computational Design.
Nicole’s team will focus on our goal to be a leader in global education. We plan to expand access to high-quality, future-ready learning through global education initiatives, global lifelong learning and mobility opportunities.
One of the UOGA’s key priorities is to drive global entrepreneurship, innovation and commercialisation, fostering partnerships that translate research into real-world benefits.
Professor Vinayak Dixit has been leading this work since 2023, as Director of Global Research and Innovation. In this time, he has spearheaded the Global Research and Impact Program and the Global Landing Pads Awards, a joint initiative of UOGA and UNSW Founders that has helped more than 30 startups expand into 15 countries in the two years since it started.
In recognition of his outstanding leadership and success in building these programs, Vinayak has been appointed Associate Vice President (Global Research and Innovation). In this expanded role he will continue driving our global innovation and industry collaboration work in close collaboration with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Enterprise (DVCRE).
A flagship initiative under Pillar 3 is the new UNSW Global Policy Initiative (GPI).
The GPI aims to harness UNSW’s extensive policy research and engagement activities into impactful policy work, to drive positive societal change globally. Ms Jane Sloane is the GPI’s inaugural director, and joins UNSW from The Asia Foundation in San Franciso, where she was senior director for women’s empowerment and gender equality. Jane is also an Atlantic Fellow for social and economic equity.
Jane will lead the GPI, which will be a central gateway for international partners to come for help with their policy challenges and to access UNSW expertise in evidence-based policy development.
Some of the priority areas for this work are climate, healthcare, inclusive economies and human rights.
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