Students walk at the University of Newcastle’s Callaghan campus in New South Wales, Australia on March 24, 2025. Roni Bintang/Getty Images
A delegation of Australia’s university leaders will travel to China from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31 to renew partnerships, as domestic universities cut jobs to reduce costs.
The delegation will visit Shenzhen and Beijing to “strengthen cooperation in areas … including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, health, and technology,” according to a statement by Universities Australia, the peak body for Australia’s 39 universities.
Universities Australia Chair Professor Carolyn Evans, who will lead the delegation, noted that after years of disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic, the visit “marks the start of a new era.”
“Australia’s and China’s universities have a proud record of working together to advance knowledge, strengthen industry capability, and build the people-to-people links that underpin our relationship,” she said.
Luke Sheehy, chief executive officer of Universities Australia, said China was “one of Australia’s most important partners in education, research, and innovation.”
“Engagement of this kind is essential—it’s how we ensure Australia’s universities remain globally connected, informed, and competitive,” he said.
Universities Under Financial Pressure
The visit comes as universities in Sydney cut costs, from top executives to regular staff, in response to financial pressures.
In August, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) announced that it would suspend enrolments in 146 courses and cut around 400 jobs, approximately 10 percent of its total staff, in a bid to save $100 million.
Macquarie University is streamlining its curriculum and staff structure, potentially affecting another 50 to 60 full-time equivalent academic roles.
Western Sydney University, currently facing a $40 million operating deficit, plans to cut 238 jobs, with 70 percent being voluntary redundancies. The leaders of the university stated that they even mow lawns by themselves to save on budget expenses.
The Universities Australia’s five-day visit this time will include engagements with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and leading companies such as Mindray, BYD, and Alibaba.
On Oct. 30, Evans will deliver a keynote address at the China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education in Beijing, where he will join global education leaders to discuss the future of international collaboration and innovation.
