rmit research

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 ?


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


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


….. aiming for a sustainable future within the top 15 of Australian research universities …..

Research at RMIT

RMIT Strategic Plan - 2005/2010


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


What Is Our Research Profile ?


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


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


0

20

40

60

80

100

ATN IRU Go8

CRCIndustry+OtherPublicNCG

Research Income Mix

%

Source : DEST Data


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


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


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


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


The External Research Environment ?


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 ?

•………………………..


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


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


What Are We Doing/Focussing on : University-wide ?


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 ….


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


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


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


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


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


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

rmit research - an overview – may 2008 neil furlong set portfolio, may 6 th, 2008

Documents

research students

research profile

research income23th

research active

research producers

research income mix

research income total