The University of Sydney, Australia's premier higher education and research university, and Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and solutions, announced a partnership to co-create solutions in next gen technologies to tackle issues set out by industry, community and government organizations.

The University of Sydney, along with Tech Mahindra’s Makers Lab - a research & development hub for co-innovation of solutions and services with customers, partners, research institutions, universities, and start-ups – will provide students with real-world experience through the newly developed Industry and Community Projects Units (ICPU).

Introduced as part of a revamp to the undergraduate curriculum at the University of Sydney, ICPUs allow interdisciplinary groups of students work on projects across areas including community development, law, technology, farming, sustainability, banking and health. The four-week long units will see student groups work with an academic supervisor and industry experts, leveraging next gen technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality, and the internet of things in Tech Mahindra’s Makers lab.

Dr Michael Spence, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Sydney, said, “These projects bring students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds together to research, analyse and present solutions to real-world problems. We are equipping our students with the skills they need for the jobs of the future. We are firmly in the Asian century with Australia’s future closely interlinked with Asia. Partnering with a leading Indian company such as Tech Mahindra, is key to give our students a better understanding of our region and experience working with an international company.”

Tech Mahindra is the first ICPU industry partnership in India. This partnership is a continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between University of Sydney and Tech Mahindra in Feb 2018 to collaborate in two key areas - joint research projects in artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain technology, data analytics and security and virtual reality, and partnership for experiential learning.

Nikhil Malhotra, Head of Makers Lab, Tech Mahindra, said, “Through this collaboration with academia, industry and business we hope to build a workforce of the future. We envision to create a talent pool that is more in tune with the practical insights around disruptive technologies, can benefit the Australian market, and enable Tech Mahindra to spot young talent.”

As part of the TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra’s Makers Lab is focused developing future-ready solution by leveraging next gen technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality, 5G – Network of the future. There is a range of business problems that Makers lab aims to solve in the future to enhance citizen services and customer experiences.