RMIT Research - an Overview – May 2008

1. RMIT Research- an Overview – May 2008 Neil Furlong SET Portfolio, May 6th, 2008

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

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

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

5. Research at RMIT ….. aiming for a sustainable future within the top 15 of Australian research universities ….. RMIT Strategic Plan - 2005/2010 G5 Visit, April 2008

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

7. What Is Our Research Profile ? G5 Visit, April 2008

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

9. Research Metrics – Relative Scale (as % of Australian university totals) G5 Visit, April 2008

10. Research Income Mix % Source : DEST Data G5 Visit, April 2008

11. Mix of Higher Degree by Research Students % Source : DEST Data G5 Visit, April 2008

12. Mix of Unweighted Publications (2005 data – from 2006 DEST/HE Data Collection) % Source : DEST Data G5 Visit, April 2008

13. Academic Staff with Doctorate ( = research active ?) Source : DEST Higher Ed Staff Statistics 2007 G5 Visit, April 2008

14. Research-only Staff ( = research producers ?) Source : DEST Higher Ed Staff Statistics 2007 G5 Visit, April 2008

15. The External Research Environment ? G5 Visit, April 2008

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

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

18. 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, …….) Research : the Hierarchy of Scale Alongside Excellence Scale within RMIT G5 Visit, April 2008

19. What Are We Doing/Focussing on : University-wide ? G5 Visit, April 2008

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

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 !) • Global Cities • Design • Platform Technologies • Sustainable Health and Well Being G5 Visit, April 2008

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 • Applied Social Research • Globalisation • Environmental Design • Aerospace • Materials Rheology • Microelectronics • Global Logistics • Drug Design and Development G5 Visit, April 2008

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

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

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

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 G5 Visit, April 2008