rmit research - an overview – may 2008 neil furlong set portfolio, may 6 th, 2008
TRANSCRIPT
RMIT Research
- an Overview – May 2008
Neil Furlong
SET Portfolio, May 6th, 2008
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 2
RMIT and Research• Our objectives/aspirations
• What we look like now
• Where RMIT ‘ranks’
• The external research environment
• What we are doing achieve our goals
• HDR students ?
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 3
RMIT at a Glance• Total number of students : ca 60,000 total• Students off-shore : ca 13,000 (inc RMIT
Vietnam)
• Research student profile : ca 1600 (2/3 PhD, ca 40% PT)
• Research mix by area : broad (but no medical faculty)
• Research mix by funding : ca equal ARC/Govt/Industry
• Relative position in Australia : 2nd tier in Scale
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 4
Research and Research Training at RMIT
….. a focus on substantial research questions of relevance to industry and community, with the intent to produce high quality research outcomes…..
RMIT Research and Innovation Strategy : 2005/2010
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 5
….. aiming for a sustainable future within the top 15 of Australian research universities …..
Research at RMIT
RMIT Strategic Plan - 2005/2010
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 6
Where Do We Currently Sit ? By What Measures ?
Forthcoming national assessment framework (ERA) will give us a most accepted ‘measure’ (from 2009/10)
In the meantime current metrics show- Total Research Income 19th
- Category 1 Research Income 23th (8th in Linkage Grants)
- Research Student Completions 9th
- Total Weighted Publications 12th
- International Rankings* (eg THE, Shanghai JT) ca 15th
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 7
What Is Our Research Profile ?
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 8
Research in (38) Australian Universities
• Research Intensive * Group of 8(Melbourne, Monash, UNSW, UWA, Adelaide, UQ, Sydney, ANU)
• Research Focussed* Australian Technology
Network(RMIT, Curtin, UTS, QUT,
UniSA)
* Innovative Research Universities
(Flinders, Macquarie, Newcastle, Griffiths, Murdoch, James Cook)
• Research Niche/Aspirational
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 9
Research Metrics – Relative Scale(as % of Australian university totals)
ATN (5) IRU(6) Go8 (5+2+1)
Research Income - Total - % Av Growth Rate (2000 – 2004)
82.3
112.3
6812.0
HDR students 15 15 49
Weighted Pubs 12 14 53
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 10
0
20
40
60
80
100
ATN IRU Go8
CRCIndustry+OtherPublicNCG
Research Income Mix
%
Source : DEST Data
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 11
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
ATN IRU Go8
Nat/ Phys Sciences
IT
Engineering
Architecture
Agriculture/ Environment
Health
Education
Society/ Culture
Creative Arts
Mix of Higher Degree by Research Students%
Source : DEST Data
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 12
0
20
40
60
80
100
ATN IRU Go8
ConferencesJournalsChaptersBooks
Mix of Unweighted Publications (2005 data – from 2006 DEST/HE Data Collection)
%
Source : DEST Data
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 13
Academic Staff with Doctorate ( = research active ?)
Average % Spread
ATN/RMIT
44/53 32 to 55
IRU 57 43 to 66
Go8 Big 5 Small 3
5465
37 to 7156 to 76
Source : DEST Higher Ed Staff Statistics 2007
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 14
Total Number
Spread Av % Academic
Staff
Spread
ATN 962 105 to 232 17.7 12.1 to 23.6
IRU 1257 498 to 1224
25.2 16.5 to 35.8
Go8 - Big 5 - Small 2 - ANU
8521558812271706
911 to 1274
612 to 6151706
39.650.2
113.7 !!
27.1 to 52.9
46.8 to 53.5
Research-only Staff ( = research producers ?)
Source : DEST Higher Ed Staff Statistics 2007
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 15
The External Research Environment ?
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 16
Challenges for Australian University Research
•Research Assessment/Rankings - ERA = metrics ?
•National Innovation Review – integration/co-ordination !
•Review of Co-operative Research Centres – the public good dimension ?
•The overall funding ‘bind’ - further concentration – the horror budget ?
•Research Training – declining opportunities ?
•The Higher Education Endowment Fund – a real opportunity ?
•………………………..
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 17
For RMIT there is the need to develop
SCALE alongside QUALITY and
RELEVANCE
Why ? Research globally is
increasingly competitive – in some areas we need to strive
to be amongst the best
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 18
Research : the Hierarchy of Scale Alongside Excellence
Research Institutes
• University-wide expertise• Outward sector focus
• Signature areas• National/international standing• Leverage of major external funds to underpin sustainability• Broad funding mix
• Focussed university investment – recruitment and infrastructure • Researchers from other ‘clusters’ aligned via Projects/Programs
Research Centres
• School/Portfolio based• Discipline focus
• Focus for workforce planning
• Planning support• Funding responding to success• Tenure-track Research Fellows ?
Research Groups
• School based• Built around lead researcher (s)
• Building of new capabilities• Mentoring of emerging researchers
• University small Grants ?
Lone Researcher
•School based • Successful in winning Grants• Drive institutional public profile
• Supported in developing national and international networks
Research Alliances
• Usually involving Centres and Groups
•Teaming with complementary skills in other Institutions
• Responding to external initiatives (eg CRCs, ARC Centres, …….)
ScalewithinRMIT
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 19
What Are We Doing/Focussing on : University-wide ?
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 20
Foci for RMIT – Drive for Enhanced Performance
•Operationalise 4 new Research Institutes
•Target more ARC grants – particularly Discovery
•Enhanced focus on ‘quality dissemination’ of research
•Evidence based assessment - enhanced incentives
•Recruit very carefully•Broaden research student funding base
•Continue focus on better support systems – eg financial, HR, promotion ….
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 21
Research Institutes across RMIT –– est 2007
• Nationally leading excellence and scale
• Substantial and relevant research questions
• Accessing capability from across the university
• Demonstrate RMIT distinctiveness (engagement !)
1)Global Cities
2)Design
3)Platform Technologies
4)Sustainable Health and Well Being
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 22
Research Centres within RMIT• Generally more locally and discipline focussed• Excellence a given – scale on a case by case basis• Cover spectrum from discovery to demonstration
1)Applied Social Research2)Globalisation3)Environmental Design4)Aerospace5)Materials Rheology6)Microelectronics7)Global Logistics8)Drug Design and Development
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 23
Research at RMIT – External Consortia
Co-Operative Research Centres• Partnerships with Govts, various universities/industry• Cover ‘industry driven’ through public good• Funded by Governments and universities/industry• Can be long term : 14 years +
* Automotive * Advanced Manufacturing* Polymers * Smart Internet/Services* Water Quality and Treatment * Construction Innovation* Interaction Design * Bushfires* Poultry * Advanced Composites* Housing/Urban * Financial Systems
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 24
RMIT – International Research Alliances
For Example• RMIT Industry Experience and Research
Program (RIERP)Research students undertaking internships within international Companies
• Vietnam : with University partners and MOET- Researcher exchanges/Collaborative projects (targeted areas)- Joint research students/partner capacity building (scholarships)- Nodes for RMIT Research Institutes
• China : with ISTA members-Emerging Researcher Network – Nanotechnology
• India : with IIT(Roorkee), IICT, Tata Chemicals- Environmental S&T - Joint PhD students
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 25
RMIT-Wide Researcher Support
Initiatives ?
* Research Investment Fund
* RMIT PhD Scholarships/APA Top-Ups
* Innovation Professors/Tenure Track Post Docs
* Emerging Research Grants * Research Leave Program
* Career Interruption Fellowships * PhD Finishing Grants
* Grant ‘Readers/Mentors’ Program
* International Scholarship opportunities - China, India
G5 Visit, April 2008 Slide 26
What About Our HDR Students ?• they are actually our core research business
• over recent years much has been done to improve their experience at RMIT (eg supervisor development, resourcing, co-ordination of candidature management, information flow (eg induction) ……)
• and it shows – eg via the PREQ and Completion data
• from 2007 we have begun to get serious about the strategic allocation of HDR places/support – and this will step up from 2008