Image: Loves Makes A Way [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Vice-chancellors will advise on research as part of economic recovery and improved cooperation with businesses
Federal education minister Dan Tehan has announced two working groups of university vice-chancellors who will advise the government on research funding and improved industry collaboration.
The Research Sustainability working group will be chaired by Deborah Terry from Curtin University in Western Australia. She is also chair of Universities Australia, the national advocacy group that represents vice-chancellors.
The advisory group will consist of eight vice-chancellors from five states and the Northern Territory. They will advise the government on research challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic and Australia’s economic recovery.
The other members are: Margaret Sheil, Queensland University of Technology; Duncan Maskell, University of Melbourne; Ian Jacobs, University of New South Wales; Rufus Black, University of Tasmania; Simon Maddocks, Charles Darwin University; Margaret Gardner, Monash University; and Attila Brungs, University of Technology Sydney.
Another group of eight university vice-chancellors will help design a $900 million federal fund to improve cooperation between academia and industry. It will look at performance metrics for the fund and ways to integrate internships and work placements with undergraduate degrees and university research.
The National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund was announced by Tehan on 19 June during a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra. He also invited vice-chancellors to nominate themselves to be part of the design process for the initiative.
The successful nominations for both working groups were announced on 1 July. Brungs, who is part of the research working group, will chair the industry group. Terry will also be a member of the industry group.
The other members are: Alex Zelinsky, University of Newcastle and former chief defence scientist; Brian Schmidt, Australian National University and Nobel physics laureate; Helen Bartlett, who moves from Federation University in Victoria this month to lead the University of the Sunshine Coast in regional Queensland; David Lloyd, University of South Australia; Barney Glover, Western Sydney University; and Eeva Leinonen, Murdoch University in Western Australia.
Announcing the appointments, Tehan said the fund would have “a strong focus” on science and technology.
“We want our universities and industry to work together. Doing so will make our graduates even more job-ready, and drive productivity improvements,” he said in a government statement.