October 3, 2019

Regional, Rural and Remote Universities: IRU submission to ACOLA review

The IRU has submitted a response to a discussion paper on enhancing research outcomes in Australia’s regional, rural and remote universities.

The review is being undertaken by the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education.

The IRU has put forward 11 recommendations:

1. Research success for universities in RRR areas is defined by international standards for excellence that should recognise the value of locally driven research questions for their broader implications.
2. Increase block grant funding to support further growth in regionally relevant research.
3. Introduce regional loading that targets university research outcomes outside of the large cities.
4. Continued support for international student recruitment.
5. Consider bottom up smart specialisation strategies for excellent research on problems of local relevance.
6. Greater support for research development of existing T&R staff in regional areas.
7. Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples moving into and progressing in postgraduate research.
8. Support whole of university approaches towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership.
9. Emphasise social translation of research in research funding, including broad definitions of professionals eligible for funding support.
10. Use NCRIS to stimulate the whole Australian research system through a distributive intent.
11. Increase support for regional staff to access NCRIS facilities and training.

Read the full IRU submission