annual report/2006 - University of Melbourne

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Research Highlights • The prediction of the risk of heart disease through a simple eye test. • The discovery determining that a piece of sacred vocal music found in the Saxon State Library in Dresden (Germany) was the work of the composer Vivaldi. • The first isolation of crystals that form when silicon is used to cause chemical reactions in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, the better understanding of which could lead ultimately to the development of new drugs. • The first confirmation of the theory that the formation of dwarf galaxies was sabotaged a billion years after the Big Bang. • The use of space technology to enable Australian farmers to predict crop yield and soil moisture. • The first successful use of brain scanning to predict whether a patient’s initial psychotic episode is an isolated experience or the start of a lifelong mental illness. • Results indicating that organisations without in-house auditing systems were failing to detect significant levels of corporate fraud. • The discovery of the oldest preserved human foot prints in Australia, the largest known collection of fossil tracks made by humans in the world. • The development of a new statistical formula to predict the likelihood of women with osteoporosis fracturing bones. 20 Research Funding Strategic Priority • Increase overall research funding levels and diversify funding sources As part of its strategy to diversify funding sources, a taskforce was established to investigate measures to improve business investment in University research. The recommendations of the taskforce will be considered and implemented in 2007. In addition, the University is actively pursuing funding from international sources. To this end, an International Grants Officer has been appointed to liaise with the International Office in the promotion of Australian and overseas competitive schemes that support international collaboration. Some of the larger international funding grants received this year include: • $950,000 from the National Institute of Health in the United States for a joint project with the US-based Institute for Genomic Research to sequence and analyse the genome of the usually fatal fungal pathogen Penicellium marneffei; • $820,000 over three years from the US-based Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research for research to help prevent falls and improve walking in people with Parkinson’s disease; The University of Melbourne Annual Report 2006 • $579,300 from the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (USA); • $516,800 from the Volkswagen Stiftung Foundation (Germany). National funding obtained for international purposes in 2006 includes $2.1 million DEST International Science Linkages funding and two ARC International Fellowships awarded for 2007. In 2006, the University maintained its position as one of the largest research and development providers in Australia. Expenditure on research and research training from all sources was an estimated $499 million representing 42 percent of total University expenditure. The University’s research expenditure has more than doubled over a 10-year period. Move Towards World- Significant Research Under Melbourne’s Growing Esteem strategy the University will invest more in areas of strong performance and potential, where there is scope for significant contribution and the greatest impact. This new focus has coincided with the Federal Government’s Research Quality Framework (RQF) exercise – an initiative designed to assess the quality and impact of research in Australia as a basis for allocating a proportion of future infrastructure funding. Research and Research Training Quality Taskforce Strategic Priorities • Set criteria for assessing research quality and conduct first round of assessments • Where required, develop plans to improve research quality and impact Achievements As a means of implementing Growing Esteem and preparing for the RQF, a Research and Research Training Quality (RRTQ) Taskforce was established early in 2006 to investigate and make recommendations to improve the quality and impact of University research and research training. The RRTQ Taskforce was also charged with responding to the 2005 Australian Universities Quality Agency recommendation that the University refine its research priorities. The Taskforce Report, delivered late in 2006, offers a comprehensive review of research performance at Melbourne by department and discipline. In carrying out its assessment, the RRTQ Taskforce audited departments utilising two sets of benchmarking studies which collectively employed both quality and impact research indicators, mediated for size. Overall the results were most encouraging with more than 90 percent of the University’s departments or disciplines ranked in the top three in
esearch and research training/ the nation, and within that group around half being the disciplinary leader. Nonetheless, the RRTQ Taskforce report identified some important weaknesses in research performance. Various areas for improvement identified by the Taskforce will be addressed by Faculty Improvement Plans for ongoing implementation from 2007. The findings of the Taskforce have provided the University with a clearer understanding of future research priorities. Measurement of research activity at the University will be enhanced through new faculty and staff-level specific research-active definitions. Potential new research areas for additional investment have been identified. University Research Expenditure $ Million 500 400 300 200 100 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Citations Strategic Priority • Increase citations by raising the profile and accessibility of Melbourne research Achievements As part of its focus on the citation profile of the University, the RRTQ Taskforce benchmarked various research publications for both quality and impact. In June high-achieving research staff led a workshop emphasising the increasing importance of citations as a research indicator and the need to enhance the publication and citation profile of the University. University Research Income $ Million 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 A subsequent workshop focussed on publication strategies for early career researchers. In addition, in a move to make Melbourne research more readily accessible, the RRTQ Taskforce recommended that the University of Melbourne Eprint Repository (UMER), an open access publishing tool, be upgraded and expanded. UMER is already well established but is being converted to DigiTool for management of the digital resources. UMER will provide ready global access to the University’s research output. A 118 percent growth in the number of items added to the Repository was achieved in 2006 with the repository now housing 1,533 publications. Over the year there was an 82 percent increase in usage of UMER, with the highest usage from the United States. Research Infrastructure World-significant research is facilitated by internationally competitive research infrastructure. Particular emphasis was placed in 2006 on development of comprehensive electronic research information databases through Themis Research, the research component of Themis – the University integrated information management system – and through more sophisticated e-research capabilities. Note: As formal analysis is undertaken biennially for the Australian Bureau of Statistics data collection, results for odd years are estimates. Table 3. Melbourne’s performance against key national research indicators Research Income $m National Rank % of Total Research Publications (DEST Weighted Score) DEST Weighted Score National Rank % of Total Research HD Load EFTSL National Rank Research HD Completions Number National Rank 2002 158.1 1 12.4 2,855 1 9.0 2,785 1 663 1 2003 198.7 1 13.4 2,857 1 8.1 2,925 1 694 1 2004 208.8 1 13.0 3,299 2 8.2 3,160 1 724 1 2005 254.4 1 13.9 3,878 1 8.8 3,159 1 750 n/a 2006 279.7 n/a n/a 3,936 (est) n/a n/a 3,231 n/a 747 (prelim) n/a The University of Melbourne Annual Report 2006 21
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