Research

Research and research training remain defining characteristics of The University of Western Australia. During 2001 the importance of research was reflected in the University Academic Profile, as well as in a new research and research training management plan, the restructuring of the University and in the development of a new budget model in which a greater quantum of internal resources is allocated through research performance indicators.

Nationally, 2001 opened with the announcement by the Howard Government of their innovation action plan Backing Australia’s Ability, which will contribute an estimated $2.9 billion over the next five years to support research and innovation in Australia. During the year the University has concentrated on developing strategies and competitive proposals to access this new funding, as well as maintaining our high profile in existing schemes, and can report a number of significant successes:

• Commitments from the Australia Research Council (ARC) from the first year of the new Discovery Program will total in excess of $10 million for 2002 to 2006, and places the University sixth in the national system.
  
• With the new ARC Linkage Projects funding the University gained more commitments of industry (over $21 million of funding) than any other Australian university.
  
• National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding to the University from grants won in the 2001 round amounts to $10.5 million spread over the next five years, with a further $13.4 million awarded to support two new program grants.
• The University is a partner in three major national research facilities, the National Networked Tele Test Facility, the Nanostructural Analysis Network Organisation (NANO) and the Australian Computational Earth Systems Simulator (ACESS).
• The University was successful as the lead institution in two systemic infrastructure bids, the ACIGA-LIGO High Optical Power Test Facility worth $4.8 million and the Australian Research Libraries Collection Analysis Project worth $236,000, and is a partner with Curtin University in a third bid to bring a $3.4 million SHRIMP ion microprobe facility to Western Australia.
• The University’s leadership role in Western Australia is again demonstrated by its lead in five of the six ARC Linkage Infrastructure grants awarded to WA universities, formerly the Research Infrastructure and Facilities (RIEF) program.
• The only Federation Fellow outside the golden triangle of New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT was awarded to Dr Ted Molinski to return to The University of Western Australia from the University of California–Davis. Dr Molinski is a marine bioproducts chemist and will significantly enhance Western Australia’s activities in marine science.
• As a result of the 2000 Co-operative Research Centres (CRC) round announced in January of 2001, the University will host the CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity which received a total funding of $4 million per annum for the next seven years from the CRC program. In addition, the University is a contributing core partner in the Predictive Mineral Discovery CRC and the CRC for Weed Management Systems.

A major strategic initiative of the University over the past two years has been aimed at enhancing partnerships with industry and the commercialisation of University generated intellectual property. 2001 has seen a number of significant developments in this area:

• The Office of Industry and Innovation is now fully functional with the appointment of Dr Andrew Sierakowski as Director.
• The Motorola project has commenced operations here in Perth with the recruitment of the first Western Australian based staff by Motorola and the commencement of building on the Fairway site of the new Global Software Centre by The University of Western Australia.
• The partnership with Samsung Corning, through the spin-off company Advanced Powder Technology, was further strengthened with the award of a $2.7 million START grant from AusIndustry.

The Institute of Advanced Studies continues to develop with two successful programs, Gender and Culture and Advances in Human Evolutionary Ecology, the launch of the 2001/2002 program Genomics, Society and Human Health, and the visits of the inaugural IAS Professors-at-Large, Professor Nadia Rosenthal and Professor Klaus Schulten.