Research that delivers

When the research community thinks of the ATN, the primary characteristics that come to mind are our championing of the research impact agenda in Australia and our focus on the needs of industry.

While not discounting the excellent basic research undertaken at ATN institutions – as recognised by the 2012 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment, which saw 84 per cent of ATN research ranked at world-class or above – this assessment is an accurate one.

International audiences are also recognising that, while there is always room for improvement, the ATN punches above its weight in delivering results for industry.

The five ATN universities, consisting of Curtin University, the University of South Australia, RMIT University, Queensland University of Technology and, of course, the University of Technology, Sydney, were all established less than 30 years ago. But they are increasingly standing out, not just in international research rankings such as Times Higher Education, QS and Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities, but by gaining a burgeoning global reputation with industry.

Late last year, the ATN launched 50 Solutions that Count, a series of case studies outlining ATN research that has led to benefits for business, government and the community. While some dismissed this as ‘mere storytelling’, it made politicians and business leaders sit up and take notice of the high calibre work of our researchers. 

UTS research featured prominently among the 50 Solutions that Count case studies, including research out of the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF).

ISF Director Professor Stuart White has recently returned from Brazil as part of an ATN delegation that sought to link leading ATN researchers with their peers in Brazil and with industry partners under a funding agreement with FAPESP – the research funding body of the state of Sao Paulo – negotiated by the ATN in 2013.

UTS research featured in 50 Solutions that Count. Details at bottom of page.

ATN universities teach around a quarter of a million students at our campuses in Australia and across the globe, including around 9000 higher degree research students and more than 6300 researchers across 34 research institutes and 61 research centres. 

When combined, the ATN invests more than $1 billion in research and development each year – an increase of 400 per cent from 1999. However as around 60 per cent of ATN research and development investment is focused on the needs of industry, it is where we invest that is of growing interest to an increasingly receptive audience of policy makers, researchers and university leaders at home and abroad.

While there is no question that pure, basic research is an essential part of the research system, there is a growing chorus recognising a disconnect between the focus of Australian universities and the needs of industry.

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that in 2010, businesses prioritised research and development in engineering and ICT while universities focused on medical, health sciences and biological sciences.

While it is natural that there is some disconnect, the ATN believes it is essential it doesn’t widen and separate the work of universities from the needs of would-be end users in the community. This would have the undesirable side-effect of reducing the political relevance of university research in the eyes of the public, potentially at the cost of funding.

Research impact has always been a core motivator and emphasis for research. While it has come into prominence in the last decade since the Research Quality Framework, even basic research and universities, grants bodies and researchers themselves have historically appraised research for impact. 

The Excellence in Innovation for Australia Trial undertaken in 2012 with 12 universities including the ATN, was a landmark step towards a national assessment of research impact that examines the role of university research on delivering outcomes and innovation for the community in an efficient and accountable way.

Measuring research excellence through ERA incentivised universities to become more strategic in managing their research portfolios, in managing their researchers, their research data and their research reputation.

The value of ERA has been huge, yet there was no great call from institutions seeking its introduction. The ATN sees similar outcomes being possible from a research impact assessment, if we can win over critics who see this as an unreasonable request because of the burden it would add to universities.

At a recent international conference, I was speaking on the issue of engaging with industry and outlined some of the ATN initiatives, including our work with industry partners in the ATN Industry Doctoral Training Centre in Mathematics and Statistics, the ATN Research Impact Industry Advisory Board and our involvement as Essential Participants in over half of the Co-operative Research Centres.

From the feedback I received, it was clear that the engagement between the ATN and industry was at a level that could only be dreamt of for most young universities. It reinforced that our work with industry has made us the envy of our global peers who are eager to learn from us and emulate our success.

George Bernard Shaw said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

With this in mind, the risk of being tagged unreasonable for seeking to raise the profile of research that delivers for industry and the community, and contributes to innovation and productivity, is a risk worth taking.

Images of UTS research featured in 50 Solutions that Count:

1. The first free public access to legal information in Australia. Learn more.
2. Manuka honey could be a new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria. Learn more.
3. Happiness research at UTS has influenced government policy. Learn more (PDF, 22MB, 54 pages).
4. A UTS report into the Extended Medicare Safety Net shaped policy outcomes. Learn more.
5. Thermal fingerprinting developed at UTS is now in use in the UK. Learn more.
6. UTS research led to one million people gaining access to safe water in 2009. Learn more (PDF, 22MB, 54 pages).
7. UTS’s OMX microscope – boosting Australia’s capacity in biotechnology. Learn more.
8. ‘Domain driven data mining’ helps organisations strengthen their fraud detection. Learn more (PDF, 22MB, 54 pages).
9. Care failures in hospital emergency departments linked with communication breakdown. Learn more (PDF, 22MB, 54 pages).
10. Wheelchair technology using assistive robotics ranked third in a top 100 listing of Australian innovations. Learn more.
11. Research into the structural condition of ageing timber bridges is saving local governments millions. Learn more.