University of Western Australia opens new campus in Chennai

CHENNAI: The University of Western Australia (UWA), one of the world’s top 100 universities and a member of Australia’s Group of Eight (Go8), on Thursday announced its new campus in Chennai - unveiling not just a branch campus, but a transformative Indo-Pacific talent hub built on the pillars of technology, oceans, MedTech, digital skills, and integrated industry-ready innovation.

UWA’s expansion into Chennai marks the next chapter in its rapidly growing India footprint. The university emphasises that Chennai was chosen for a rare economic and capability complementarity with Western Australia. Both regions sit at comparable economic scales of around $450 billion, lead their nations in renewable energy and advanced industries, and possess natural synergies that make talent-building between them uniquely powerful. With Western Australia’s population of 3 million and Tamil Nadu’s 77 million, UWA sees significant scope to cultivate the next generation of talent for the wider region.

Amit Chakma, vice-chancellor, UWA, said: “This will be an Indo-Pacific powerhouse where talent, industry and research flow seamlessly across India and Australia. By connecting TN’s strengths with Western Australia’s leadership in oceans, critical technologies and innovation, we are creating a platform for capability-building that will shape the region’s next decade.”

Srimathi Shivashankar, corporate vice president and global head, EdTech Business, HCLTech, said:“At HCLTech, we have been working with universities and enterprises to make learning practical, accessible and aligned with real-world opportunities.”