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the understanding to operate in the host nation. How terrific would
it be when selecting from a highly talented pool of graduates for an
international joint venture to be able to quickly and confidently identify
candidates who have the prerequisites to operate overseas?
Critics may well say that this experience can be learned from
a textbook, via an online learning portal or e-classroom, or
from a campus in Australia. In some ways, they’re not wrong.
Many skills can be learned in just such a way. But to understand
the complexities of, for example, doing business in Malaysia,
Indonesia or any other country in the Asia-Pacific region, students
at Australian universities need hands-on experience with these
cultures. Also, this region is where much of our nation’s future
prosperity will come from. That is why we see the Australian
Government brokering monumental free-trade agreements with
our nearest trading partners and promoting cross-cultural ties.
It’s not just about what Australians can do overseas or what
foreign nationals can offer our companies. It’s also about what
skills international experience, obtained in a higher education
course and as part of work carried out overseas, can offer our
home-nation companies. Certainly, another key point here is that
universities and businesses of all sizes need to collaborate more.
Universities need to think more about sharing students between
institutions and between universities and companies. This was
most recently echoed by David Southwick, Victorian shadow
minister for innovation, energy and resources, and renewables,
who highlighted research from the OECD that shows Australia
could be performing better when it comes to collaboration
between universities and business.
When it comes to universities working with businesses to invent
the next potentially wealth-generating idea, Australia is ranked
18th on the ladder against our international counterparts. This
VC’S CORNER
is a concerning place to be when our future prosperity lies in
collaboration with Australian businesses and developing ties with
our Asian neighbours.
The OECD report highlights that only 3.5 per cent of large
companies and 4.1 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises
collaborate with universities or public research organisations. If
SMEs, as major drivers of innovation and prosperity, are to take the
nation forward, they must have access to fresh ideas and new ways
of doing things. This can only come from collaborating closely with
universities in a meaningful way to yield results.
Similarly, the OECD also highlighted that Australian companies
are lagging behind when it comes to working collaboratively
with international partners and companies, with just 12.4 per
cent of large companies and 7.5 per cent of SMEs collaborating
internationally. These figures are in stark contrast to Estonia, the
OECD leader in cross-border collaboration, where 66.9 per cent of
large firms and 30.1 per cent of SMEs are engaged in international
collaboration for innovation.
There are, in fact, some genuinely great examples of Australian
universities collaborating with domestic and international industry.
Take, for example, the Public Health Information Development Unit
(PHIDU) which Torrens University recently welcomed to campus.
Since 1999, PHIDU has been committed to providing information
on a range of health determinants across the nation and New
Zealand. It uses its renowned health atlases – an asset commended
by the World Health Organization among other leaders in public
health. These assets are invaluable resources, not just to public
health students, but also to state and territory health departments,
pharmaceutical companies and policymakers. Having access to
PHIDU, whether on campus or via video link from overseas, will
benefit students of Torrens University’s master of public health
immensely and PHIDU will certainly be a great knowledge pool for
many students from across the world, too.
Similarly, the Australian Government’s Department of Industry,
Innovation and Science has recognised the power of collaboration
by creating research funds, including the Australia-China Science
and Research Fund and the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.
Another example is the Adelaide-Mbale Children’s Health Fund,
which recently established a partnership with Torrens University
to further its work. AMCHF assists children in need of medical
treatment that will ultimately save them or improve their quality
of life. Students of public health who participate will develop a
deeper understanding of working in Uganda with a not-for-profit
organisation to improve public health outcomes. This is the kind of
collaboration where Australia is doing well.
To make good on opportunities overseas, particularly within the
Asia-Pacific region, students will increasingly look to universities
that can provide global collaboration as a pathway to capitalising
on Australia’s growing role within the region.
Whether global collaboration comes in the form of a semester
of overseas study, working on a joint project with students living
in China, being mentored from afar by an international leader in
business or exploring international case studies to take an extended
assignment to the next level, higher-education institutions should be
furthering opportunities for students to immerse themselves in the
increasingly borderless and exciting business world of tomorrow. ■
Professor Justin Beilby is vice-chancellor of Torrens University
Australia.
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