RMIT Research - an Overview – May 2008

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