The University of Wollongong rated highly in the Australian Research Council's (ARC) inaugural Engagement and Impact assessment (EI 2018) released on Friday by Federal education minister Dan Tehan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The assessment highlights the many ways University of Wollongong research benefits the region, Australia and the world.
It looks at how universities engage with people outside of academia, and how their research translates into economic, social, health, environmental and other benefits.
UOW's submission to EI 2018 included research case studies from the sciences, engineering, health and medicine, social sciences, humanities and creative arts.
And included case studies on how UOW research is positively impacting Indigenous Australians, and the power of interdisciplinary research.
Overall, 95 per cent of UOW's case studies were rated as high (27 per cent) or medium (68 per cent) for impact, compared to 88 per cent of case studies rating as high (43 per cent) or medium (45 per cent) nationally.
UOW vice chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said the results reflected the university's strong reputation for engaging with industry, governments and community, and for research that delivered real-world impact.
Prof Wellings said it has long encouraged and nurtured engagement with industry, community and government to tackle the most pressing global challenges, introduce disruptive technologies and change the world for the better. "UOW is dedicated to research that makes a contribution to the economy, to society, the environment and to culture. Its researchers are committed to engaging with organisations and individuals outside of the university that will directly benefit from the results of the collaboration."
UOW was one of only five universities to receive a rating of high for its case studies in environmental sciences, history and archaeology. And one of only six to do so for its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander case study.
The case studies ranged from the development of a technology to make radiation treatment of cancers safer and more effective, to identifying, preventing and treating malnutrition in older adults and the infirmed, to using more effective marketing techniques to increase the number of volunteer foster carers.
One of the standout results for UOW was in the field of law and legal studies where its research rated highly for both engagement and impact.
The case study, "Sustaining Pacific fisheries and fishing communities", saw researchers from the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), in the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, work with Pacific island nations where declining stocks in coastal fisheries threatened the food security and health of island communities.
Led by ANCORS Director Distinguished Professor Stuart Kaye, researchers from law, social and environmental sciences, collaborated with national governments and community stakeholders to bring about legislative, regulatory and management changes, and develop community-based management plans that safeguard local fish stocks.
Other case studies to rate highly for impact were:
- Illawarra Aboriginal Health Research partnership
- Improving disaster management and increasing citizen safety through open, crowdsourced, automated flood reporting
- Protecting people, property and the environment with research for effective management of bushfire risk
- The power and social impact of audio storytelling: from radio documentary to podcast
- Regional and global impacts of the discovery of Homo floresiensis.
In Biological Sciences, Antarctic ecosystems research: Monitoring and limiting the impacts of climate change and pollution on Antarctic biodiversity, UOW was rated highly for its approach to impact.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation professor Jennifer Martin said the EI 2018 assessment showed that UOW researchers were motivated not just to produce work of world-class standard, but also work that had the potential to transform the world for the better.
"Following on from the recent ARC Excellence in Research for Australia report, the EI 2018 assessment shows that not only is the University's research of the highest quality, it is also focused on delivering innovative solutions to the complex economic, environmental, social and medical challenges that the world faces," prof Martin said.
Read more:
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
