RESEARCH DIRECTIONS DRIVING CHANGE Gail Crossley Head of School Training 6 April 2009.

RESEARCH DIRECTIONSDRIVING CHANGE

Gail Crossley

Head of School Training

6 April 2009

Overview

1. Government priorities

2. ACU - where we are

3. ACU - where we want to be

(priorities, targets and strategies)

4. ERA

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Government priorities

• Full funding for research

• Collaborations between universities that build research strengths( funding mechanisms and compacts will drive these)

• ERA to measure quality and identify strengths and new opportunities

• Performance targets for research

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Government priorities

• Increasing international collaboration in research by Australian universities

• Increasing collaboration between universities and industry (LPs, Enterprise Connect, Researchers in Business, CRCs,

EIF, Innovation Councils involving industry, government and researchers, Innovation Investment Follow-on Fund)

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Government priorities

• Future Fellowships and Laureate Fellowships

• Research workforce strategy to address expected shortfalls to 2020

• Double APAs and increase funding

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ACU where are we?

ACU 2008 Academic Staff

Full-time and fractional – excludes casuals at 31 March 2008

Level FTE PhDs %

E 35.3 28.2 79.9%

D 48.9 44.7 91.3%

C 105.1 58.4 55.6%

B 221.1 56.7 25.6%

A 24.8 3.3 13.3%

Total 435.2 191.2 43.9%

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ACU 2007 HERDC Publications

7.5 Books (unweighted)

40.59 Book chapters

86.48 Refereed journal articles

62.04 Full refereed conference papers

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ACU 2007 Research Income

Australian Competitive Research Grants

$1.2 million

Other public sector research income

$1.2 million

Industry and other research income

$0.4 million

Total = $2.8 million

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ACU –where do we want to be?

UNIVERSITY STRATEGIC PLAN

2009-2011

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Research and Knowledge Transfer

ACU has a specialised, growing and well-regarded research environment.

Key Result Areas –• Research focus• Research culture and infrastructure • Research productivity • Research training • Intellectual engagement

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University Performance Targets

By the end of 2011 ACU will be ranked in the third quartile of Australian Universities for:

• its research income per academic staff FTE.

• its scholarly research output per academic staff FTE.

• the number of its higher degree research course completions as a proportion of all completions

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Research Block Grants

IGS RIBGRTS

APAsCTS

Research income 60% 100%(Cat 1only)

40%

Publications (HERDC only) 10% 10%

HDR completions 50%

HDR load 30%

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DISCUSSION

What are the current strengths and weaknesses of Faculties and Research Centres ?

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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA

Theology and Philosophy ….central to the elucidation, development and expression of Catholic intellectual thought.

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Theology and Philosophy

– Asia-Pacific Centre for Inter-Religious Dialogue

– Centre for Early Christian Studies– Golding Centre for Women’s

History, Theology and Spirituality– Institute for Catholic Identity and

Mission– Plunkett Centre for Ethics

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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA

Health… with a particular emphasis on the value of care, especially of the weak and vulnerable.

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Health

– Centre of Physical Activity Across the Lifespan (CoPAAL)

– National Centre for Clinical Outcomes Research (NaCCOR)

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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA

Education ….especially in …exercising an option for the poor and vulnerable. This focus includes religious education, Indigenous education, and learning and leadership in education, literacy and numeracy.

.

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Education

– Creative and Authentic Leadership

– Mathematics and Literacy Education

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RESEARCH FOCUS AREA

Common Good and Social Justice … comprising the heart of Catholic social thought. This multi‐disciplinary focus, notably in the liberal arts and social sciences, extends throughout the University’s teaching and research….

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Common Good and Social Justice

– Institute of Child Protection Studies

– Institute of Legal Studies– Quality of Life and Social

Justice– Public Policy Institute

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RESEARCH FOCUS

Research concentration strategy implemented

Research centre policy reviewed

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RESEARCH CULTURE

• University research data management system – ResearchMaster

• - Grants and Publications

• - HDR and ERA

• Electronic research repository – ACU Research Bank

• ERA Action Plan

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RESEARCH CULTURE• Research is conducted and managed at the

Faculty level• Enhanced responsibilities for AD (Research)• Faculty Research Managers• Research Centres embedded in Faculties• Honorary appointments associated with

Centres and Schools• New website • New communication strategy

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RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY

• Enhanced research budget

• Recruit researchers with track records

• University postdoctoral fellowship scheme

• Streaming of staff into research intensive and teaching and research roles

• Strategies to support staff completing PhDs

• New incentive strategies27

RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY• Increased professional support for grant

applications

• Increased support for the development of research budgets

• Professional development program

• Researcher news

• Access to expert consultant advice program

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RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY

• Early career researcher start up grants

• Mid career development program

• Research leadership program

• OSP program

• Workload policy

• Only reported outputs considered

• Promotion guidelines reflect ERA

• Restrict non-ACU outside teaching29

RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY

• Forum of leaders of international Catholic Universities re research partnerships

• Research business development and relationship management

• ACU IRIS grants• ACU grants for Catholic partner research

projects (pre-LP)• Distinguished International Fellows Scheme

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TARGETS

Proportion of academics with PhD

Increase by 4% by 2011 –

Increase by 10% by 2013

Postdoctoral fellows

Increase by 8% by 2010

Research partnerships

Increase by 6 by 2010

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RESEARCH TRAINING

• Increase Honours and ACU scholarships

• Supervisor training and register

• HDR induction program

• Electronic student manual

• Student progression

• Access to expert consultant program

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RESEARCH TRAINING

• Evaluate Research Connect training modules by end of 2009

• Profiling of HDR student projects and supervisors

• Review of MPhil and PhD ( including considering the option of PhD by publication)

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TARGETS

Honours enrolments

Increase by 10% by 2011

PhD scholarships

Increase by 15% by 2010

PhD enrolments

Increase by 15% by 2011

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DISCUSSION

What are the next steps ACU should take to address the Government’s agendas to increase collaboration with

• other Australian universities

• industry

• International researchers?

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ERA

Institution Submissions will be evaluated by Research Evaluation Committees based on performance within disciplines (not as individual researchers) using indicators of

• Research quality

• Research volume

• Recognition

• Application

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ERA

Trials 2009

• PCE cluster due June

• HCA cluster due August

In 2010

• All eight clusters

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ERA

• Eligible researchers – at census date 31 March

• Each researcher is defined by up to 3 FoR codes (4 digit).

• If any one of these FoR codes is within a cluster that researcher must particpate in that submission

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ERA

What counts for each cluster?

Research outputs 2002-2007 (6 years)

Research income 2005-2007 (3 years)

Applied measures 2005-2007 (3 years)

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ERA

Research outputs for HCA cluster

• A1,B1, C1, E1 publications

• original creative works,

• live performance of creative works,

• recorded creative works,

• curated exhibitions

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ERA

Research income for each clusterCat 1- Australian Competitive Grants

Cat 2 - Other public sector research income

Cat 3 - Industry and other research income - Australian

- International A (competitive, peer-reviewed)

- International B

Cat 4 - CRC research income41

ERA

What each eligible researcher must do

As an individual nominate FoR codes and apportion %

For the HCA cluster FoR codes must be allocated to each and every output for 2002-2007

Identify best 20% of outputs which may be tagged for peer review

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ERA

Ranking of journals

A* top 5%

A next 15%

B next 30%

C next 50%

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ERA

A* examples in HCA list

Journal of Mass Media Ethics (explores questions of media morality)

Journal of Planning Education and Research

Journal of Religious Ethics

Modern Theology

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ERA

ACU research publications

Early Christian Studies• Early Christian Studies Monographs• Prayer and Spirituality in the Early Church • Byzantina Australiensia (for Australian

Association)

Institute of Child Protection Studies• Communities, Children and Families

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ERA

Plunkett Centre• Bioethics Outlook

School of Philosophy• Ethics Education B in HCA list

School of Religious Education• Journal of Religious Education

School of Theology• Australian eJournal of Theology B in HCA list

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ERA

ERA ROAD SHOW

from 20 -30 April

ERA ACTION PLAN

for Faculty Discussion

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DISCUSSION The implications of ERA for ACU

How well do our workload policy and definition of “research active” meet this new challenge?

Should we

- Recognise quality in publications?

- Have different expectations for different academic levels?

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