Dr Parwinder Kaur, Member of the Legislative Council, Western Australian Parliament, and distinguished alumna of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), visited the university and interacted with Vice Chancellor Dr Satbir Singh Gosal and senior officers. The visit signified a meaningful reconnection between a global public leader and the institution that shaped her academic foundation.
Welcoming the visiting dignitary, Dr Gosal highlighted PAU’s sustained leadership in agricultural education, research and extension. He noted that the university has consistently ranked first among State Agricultural Universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework and has also secured a place among leading global agricultural institutions. He informed that PAU has recently been included in the BRICS Network of Universities, opening new avenues for international academic collaboration.
Dr Gosal also outlined the university’s efforts to strengthen entrepreneurship and value addition. He explained the role of the Food Industry Business Incubation Centre housed in the Department of Food Science and Technology. The facility provides incubation and pilot-scale food processing infrastructure to convert agricultural produce into market-ready products. Its training covers preservation techniques, packaging, canning, beverage processing, branding and marketing, enabling farmers, youth, self-help groups and emerging entrepreneurs to acquire industry-relevant skills.
Emphasising the need for wider exposure, he underlined that self-help groups trained at PAU require national and international platforms to scale their enterprises. He also referred to the long-standing academic linkages between PAU and the University of Western Australia, which continue to offer scope for deeper collaboration.
Reflecting on her academic journey, Dr Parwinder Kaur spoke about her formative years at PAU, where undergraduate training in agriculture and postgraduate studies in entomology built a strong scientific base. She shared how this grounding later supported her advanced work in molecular biology, genomics and biotechnology at the University of Western Australia. Her progression from agricultural classrooms in Punjab to international research and public leadership illustrated the transformative power of education.
Highlighting the value of interdisciplinary learning, she emphasised that students should be encouraged to move across domains when aptitude permits. Drawing from her own experience, she described how insights gained from crop science were later applied in animal genetics research, reinforcing the importance of cross-sector thinking.
Dr Kaur discussed ongoing cooperation between the Indian and Australian governments and stressed the potential for joint work in food value chains and processing, particularly in areas requiring skilled manpower. She expressed willingness to mentor entrepreneurial minds from PAU and support their journey towards building globally competitive enterprises.
She also referred to strategic research fellowships and institutional mechanisms such as the Centre for Australia-India Relations, which help researchers and innovators connect with suitable ecosystems. She noted that investors require clear pathways, governments must facilitate access, and universities play a critical role in easing technology transfer through structured handholding. Identifying focused areas of collaboration could help channel farmer delegations, entrepreneurs and investors across both nations, supported by streamlined governmental approvals. She further underlined the relevance of purpose-driven academic programmes integrating biotechnology with agribusiness.
Additional Director of Communication Dr T.S. Riar briefed the visiting dignitary on PAU’s outreach and innovation framework. He explained the functioning of the Skill Development Centre, Punjab Agri Business Incubator and the university’s extensive network of technology transfer ambassadors. He also shared details of startups promoted through government support and the Invest Punjab initiative.
Dr Riar revealed that the Skill Development Centre focuses on hands-on training aligned with national certification systems to enhance employability, entrepreneurship and farm productivity. Within this ecosystem, the Punjab Agri Business Incubator has supported hundreds of startups through mentoring, capacity building and funding support from ideation to commercialization, particularly in agri-tech, food processing and supply chain solutions.
The meeting was coordinated by Dr Vishal Bector, Associate Director (Institution Relations). During the interaction, Dr Parwinder Kaur was felicitated with mementoes by the Vice Chancellor. She later visited Hostel No. 6 to see the room where she resided during her student years at PAU. She was honoured there by the Director of Students’ Welfare, Dr Nirmal Jaura, in the presence of the Vice Chancellor. The visit concluded with an acknowledgement of PAU’s enduring role in nurturing globally relevant professionals and public leaders, with Dr Kaur’s journey as an award-winning scientist, parliamentarian and advocate of inclusive leadership reflecting the university’s lasting academic and social legacy.