UWA Announces Major MedTech Partnership & Establishes First India Centre in Visakhapatnam

The University of Western Australia (UWA), one of the world’s top 100 universities, today unveiled a landmark collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) and leading institutions across Andhra Pradesh -positioning Visakhapatnam as a major Indo-Pacific hub for MedTech innovation, global research exchange, underwater domain awareness, and future-ready workforce development.

At the heart of today’s announcements is a strategic MedTech partnership between UWA and AMTZ, designed to accelerate innovation, enhance clinical capability, and strengthen industry-ready training. Through joint research, clinical trial knowledge exchange and pathways for internships with India’s top MedTech companies, the partnership will open new opportunities for students and researchers while solidifying Visakhapatnam’s position as a global center for health technology cooperation.

In parallel, aligned to Vizag’s significant defence base, through UWA Defence Security Institute, UWA’s growing role in regional maritime security and blue economy transformation through its ongoing work in Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is a critical component of India–Australia Indo-Pacific cooperation. UWA is a core partner in the 24-month initiative, Enhancing Australia–India Underwater Domain Awareness Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, a joint effort between Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) under its SATP Initiative and New Delhi’s Council for Strategic and Defence Research (CSDR). The program strengthens bilateral capability across anti-submarine warfare, uncrewed undersea vehicles, deep-sea awareness, and undersea search and rescue, contributing to regional security and expanding India's technological leadership in the Eastern Indian Ocean. Visakhapatnam - home to some of India’s most advanced maritime and naval infrastructure - will play an important role as UWA deepens its engagement in India’s ocean science and underwater systems ecosystem.

In a significant milestone for UWA’s Indo-Pacific engagement, the University also announced the creation of its first-ever UWA India Centre, established in Visakhapatnam in collaboration with the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Andhra University. The Centre will act as a platform for academic exchange, industry collaboration and innovation programs—supporting joint research, faculty partnerships and deep engagement between institutions across India, Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific. It will bring together MedTech, oceans, defence, sustainability, agriculture, data science and quantum computing to address shared global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Speaking at the announcement, Professor Amit Chakma, Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia, said:“Visakhapatnam represents one of India’s most dynamic innovation ecosystems, and we are proud to strengthen our engagement with the region. The UWA India Centre will enable long-term collaboration in areas that matter most to both our nations—healthcare innovation, oceans and underwater systems, sustainability and global skills development. Our partnership with AMTZ and our ongoing work in underwater domain awareness will empower students, researchers and industry partners to co-create solutions with real-world impact across borders.”

The Centre will offer year-round programs that prepare students and professionals for future workforce needs across MedTech, maritime technologies, defence systems, agriculture, sustainability and advanced computing. Students from UWA Perth and its upcoming Chennai and Mumbai campuses will gain hands-on exposure to AMTZ’s cutting-edge MedTech manufacturing and testing facilities, as well as India’s rapidly expanding ocean, marine and defence sectors. Through internships, applied research and immersion programs, students will benefit from one of the world’s most robust industry–academia ecosystems. 

With the launch of this Centre and the expansion of UWA’s Indo-Pacific agenda, today’s announcements mark a significant step toward cultivating a skilled talent pipeline, strengthening India–Australia cooperation and driving transformative innovation across health, oceans, security, and technology sectors.