Group of Eight university group cements ties with European counterparts

The Group of Eight peak university body says there is ‘a window of opportunity’ to capitalise on improving relations with Europe.

Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson. Picture: Nikki Short

The Group of Eight peak university body says there is “a window of opportunity” to capitalise on improving relations with Europe by diversifying Australia’s foreign student intake and strengthening research ties with the EU.

Anthony Albanese has used his European trip to smooth over ­relations with France after the Morrison government tore up a $90bn French submarine deal, with the reset expected to advance free-trade talks with the EU.

While Mr Albanese last week attended a NATO leaders’ summit in Spain and met with world leaders, Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson was one of 30 members of the European Australian Business Council which held separate meetings across the continent.

In Paris, the council met with French companies in the pharma, defence and energy fields before holding roundtables in Brussels to discuss the implications of an Australian-EU free trade agreement.

The council also travelled to London and Italy, where members visited the Italian Space Agency, which has a partnership with the University of Melbourne.

Ms Thomson said the change in government in Australia had been well received in Europe.

“There is now a window of ­opportunity to capitalise on the reset in relations between Australia and our key partners in Europe and the role of research universities will be and is critical to this,” she told The Australian.

“Given the breadth of the sectors covered, with a strong focus on innovation, we are sending a collective signal that Australia is open for business and that the FTA is hugely significant to business, industry and universities.”

Ms Thomson said the higher education sector would play a role not only in economic recovery post-Covid but also as a tool for soft diplomacy.

“Given our research and education track record in the Indo-Pacific, we are well placed to work with our European partners in the region,” she said.

“The EU as a block is our largest partner in research, and we want to grow that collaboration as part of our research diversification strategy. The successful conclusion of the FTA will enable us to leverage our already strong partnerships in Europe.”

Ms Thomson added there was a “significant opportunity” to grow the number of undergraduate and postgraduate students from Europe.

“No European country is in (the) top 10 source countries for Australia … so therein lies the ­opportunity,” she said.

Traditionally, China has been the top source country for almost all Australian universities, sparking criticism the sector had become too reliant on one market. But after the Covid pandemic, Chinese students have not returned in the same numbers as their counterparts from India, in large part because of the remaining border controls which are part of China’s zero-Covid policy.

While supporting the diversification of the foreign student market, Ms Thomson also said it was important to regain Chinese students. She told the Australia China Business Council Industry Summit in Sydney last month that Australia would struggle to make economic headway without them.