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VC’ s corner they address things like agriculture, energy, water and food.
One of the outcomes of this will be on Friday when all 23 presidents, including some of our invited speakers, spend the whole day together working on a policy roundtable, and out of that, we’ re looking at some policy generation that will be informed by the sustainable development goals, but specific to the region.
I read the WA government awarded UWA about $ 3.75 million to establish a marine energy research hub, driving offshore research and innovation. Is this something that will be folded into the institute? It is. You’ re referring to the Wave Energy Research Centre in Albany. That links to what we have on campus, which is the world class Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, which is also supported by the CSIRO. We have Woodside and Rio involved in that initiative, as well as the CSIRO, the Department of Fisheries and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.
This is a great example of what I’ m talking about: the bringing together of government, industry, researchers and policy initiatives that will lead to some great outcomes in terms of, for example, wave energy.
The University of Alberta is here this week, and we’ ve already started to talk to them about the potential for a $ 75 million initiative around energy and that link to wave energy.
When we invest in areas like this and start to develop policy that has international reach and significance, it’ s very attractive for partners. We have to start thinking about collaboration on an international scale, because that’ s where the big wins are going to be in the future when we look at the major impact of research and innovation that’ s undertaken across the different continents.
It’ s important that we don’ t duplicate effort, that we’ re attempting to address some of these global challenges together.
You were one of six vice-chancellors from the Go8 invited to China recently to attend a meeting of 100 international university leaders for the 120th anniversary of Peking University. What were some of the main takeaways for Australian universities? It was a fascinating trip. There was a reassertion of the importance of the China / Australia relationship through education – the people to people relationships, which came across very strongly.
The theme of that two-day roundtable discussion across all the presidents was how universities can continue to bring forward the culture inherited of different nations, and different cultures within nations. But at the same time, to ensure that we maintain the collaboration and the dialogue.
That was a particularly useful event for us to really think about the Australia / China relations we have that are generated through the higher education institutions that work together across the Go8.
[ UNSW vice-chancellor ] Ian Jacobs and I took the opportunity to meet with the Chinese ministry of education and the China Scholarship Council, and to talk with [ Australian Ambassador to China ] Jan Adams about our relationships. I felt, and I think Ian would agree, that they were still very warm, and that we still understand the‘ double bottom line’ – the economic and social benefits that we have from our relationships with China and the impact that that has on the region.
I think we came away feeling heartened that those relationships are people to people, and that we are maintaining and building those strong connections. That’ s despite some of the differences that we see happening across some of the social media that’ s coming out in China, and how that’ s picked up in the Australian popular media as well.
You’ ve been a permanent VC for over a year now. When you reflect on your first year in charge, how do you feel about it? It’ s a great question, because I’ ve only been in Australia four years. I watch with interest when I look at my UK colleagues and what they’ re dealing with at the moment in terms of the public scrutiny that universities are under. Public sector institutions are facing challenges in terms of their public trust and so on declining.
Universities must make sure they continue to share the important messages around their relevance into the future with not just the industry 4.0, and challenges to the future of work, but the important stuff – what we’ re doing in social and technological transformations, supporting societies. That’ s just as important for us here in Australia.
It’ s very easy to broadcast the importance of our research, but actually helping people to understand the difference that we’ re making day-to-day improving lives, in responding to some of the sustainable development goals, and responding to what our local needs are, as well as supporting the national agenda in terms of our economic viability, and the development of our research and innovation industry.
So, focusing on that translational message of relevance is something I feel is critical, and speaking to the students, ensuring that their voices are heard, because they’ re our future, they’ re the people that are going to address these challenges and work with industry in ways that we can’ t even imagine.
What is the top of the agenda for your second year in charge? This year is very exciting because we’ ve just launched the consultation on our strategy for 2030, so we’ re developing our new decadal vision.
We’ re having every member of staff involved, we’ ve got student involvement, we’ ve invited industry to join with us on this and to develop a vision that will be launched at the end of this year.
You’ re from the UK, and you’ ve spent time in Australia – how important is educational exchange on a student and administrative level to society? I can’ t underestimate the impact of international expertise, experience and exchange. One of the things that the International Student Barometer tells us globally is the value-add that students find from having that studyabroad experience, or the opportunity to undertake a degree program, internship, or some integrated learning in an international partner university or an industry overseas. That’ s growing in importance, because graduates are going to need that international experience to secure employment. Importantly, for research-intensive universities, it’ s not just about securing employment, it’ s about having the opportunity to generate jobs, and having international awareness – and an international touchpoint supports that agenda.
For me, I can’ t talk highly enough about the opportunities I’ ve had working overseas. I’ ve spent time in Germany, America and other countries, and without that I wouldn’ t be able to bring the perspective I have to the vice-chancellor’ s position in Australia.
I think most vice-chancellors would say the same thing. In administration, the opportunity to even shadow other vice-chancellors and administrators in government in other countries is critical. n
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