New Delhi: With a steep rise in the number of Indian students seeking admission to Australia, students and researchers from diverse backgrounds have won awards to study in Australia. Twentysix Indian students, professionals and researchers received scholarships from Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese Wednesday. These include three prestigious Prime Minister Australia-Asia Awards. "The Australia Awards facilitate the sharing of knowledge, strengthen mutual understanding between our two nations and build international networks, which continue long after the scholars have returned to India," Varghese said. "Our education relationship, underpinned by people-to-people and institutional connections, is a crucial part of our broader Australia India strategic partnership," he added. The awardees will undertake study or research at the vocational, postgraduate and postdoctoral level or undertake professional development across diverse fields such as sciences, biotechnology, medicine and environment among others. A major decline was noted in the number of Indian students going to Australia in 2010-11 after over 100 incidents of attacks on Indians in 2009 and 2010 in Australia. According to officials, a 30 percent increase has been noticed, compared to last year, in the number of student applications for Australian universities. A total of 291 Indian scholars and professionals have been awarded the Australia Awards since 2007.