Research Centres and Groups - Governing Policy
Responsible officer: Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Designated officer: Director, Teaching and Research Services
Approval authority: Council
Approval: C07/128, 11 December 2007
Last amended:
Effective starting date: 1 January 2008
Any policies replaced by this policy: Research Institutes and Centres Policy
Policy number: G12.
Related policies:
Related procedures: Research Centres and Groups Procedures
Due date for next review:
Part A: Preliminary
1 Purpose
This policy is intended to provide the framework for the establishment, operation, reporting, review, and disestablishment of research centres and groups.
2 Application
This policy applies to all staff, students and members of University decision-making or advisory bodies.
3 Definitions
In this policy the following definitions apply:
Research, consistent with the definition used by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), means “Creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge. This involves four types of activity: pure basic research; strategic basic research; applied research including new ways of achieving specific and predetermined objectives such as clinical practice; and experimental development.”
Research centre means a structure for undertaking research that comprises at least five members who individually and/or collectively meet specified quantitative and qualitative criteria, and operates within a faculty and under the authority of a Dean. Research centres normally involve a range of contributors and beneficiaries, including Early Career Researchers (ECRs), postdoctoral fellows, and higher degree by research candidates (HDRs) building their research track records.
Research group means a structure for undertaking research that comprises at least three members who individually and/or collectively meet specified quantitative and qualitative criteria, and operates within a faculty and under the authority of a Dean. Research groups normally involve a range of additional contributors and beneficiaries, including ECRs, postdoctoral fellows, and HDRs building their research track records.
Areas of research concentration means research that is focused and strategically supported in a limited number of areas under the banners of regional engagement and sustainability.
Sustainability, in the context of research concentration at USC, means the enhancement of communities into the indefinite future without impinging on the intrinsic value of natural systems.
Regional engagement, in the context of research concentration at USC, means the process of building mutually beneficial relationships within and between regions to foster, inspire and activate communities to achieve sustainable outcomes.
Part B: Policy
4 Research concentration in the University
Research is central to the University’s mission and to be recognised and resourced as a university that undertakes research it is necessary for the University’s research to be of high quality and high impact. To achieve this in an increasingly competitive national and international research environment the University concentrates its research effort.
The University conducts research under the banners of sustainability and regional engagement, and has a USC interpretation of these concepts. Under these the University identifies and fosters current and intended areas of research concentration. Within these areas the University may establish research centres or groups to lead research activity.
4.1 Role of research centres and research groups
The role of research centres and research groups is to concentrate research effort in order to achieve high quality and high impact research outcomes, and advance individual and collective capacity within the University for excellent research. A key responsibility of research centres and research groups is mentoring, supporting and providing opportunities for ECRs and HDRs building their research track records.
5 Individual researchers
The University provides a support framework to enable individual researchers to build their research careers. ECRs are supported by internal grants schemes and professional development opportunities, and are provided with mentoring opportunities by research centres and research groups. As appropriate to their respective disciplines and opportunities, individual researchers can build their own research success and/or forge links with other researchers and form informal clusters of researchers, and if desired, eventually seek to be designated as a research group. Under this framework excellent researchers undertaking high quality and high impact research, whether individually or collectively, receive systematic institutional support for their work.
6 Establishment of research centres and groups
To be designated as a USC research centre or research group, researchers must meet specific qualitative and quantitative criteria.
6.1 Qualitative criteria
The qualitative criteria for the establishment of research centres and groups are:
a. undertaking research that is at least “recognised as methodologically sound in its field and of high originality, significance and rigour” (refer to the recommended RQF *)
b. engagement with research training and development, including active participation in Honours programs, higher degrees by research, and providing post doctoral opportunities
c. generating new resources for research, for instance through success in National Competitive Grants and participation in Cooperative Research Centres
d. undertaking research that has at least “engaged with the end user community to address a social, economic, environmental, and/or cultural issues regionally within Australia, nationally, or internationally” (refer to the recommended RQF *)
e. partnering productively in research within USC and with other significant business, industry, government and/or community organisations, including other universities, at local, state, national and/or international levels;
f. working systematically to build up the necessary infrastructure, including through partnering arrangements, to implement effective research programs
g. advancing the teaching-research nexus in the University through strategic involvement in undergraduate teaching and advancement of research training at undergraduate levels
h. supporting and mentoring of ECRs, postdoctoral fellows, HDRs and others attempting to build their research track records
6.2 Quantitative criteria
a. Research centres
The quantitative criteria for the establishment of research centres are:
- all members must be above the national average ** in external competitive research grants and refereed research publications.
b. Research groups
The quantitative criteria for the establishment of research groups are:
- all members must be above the national average in at least one of either external competitive research grants or refereed research publications, and
- no members may be below the national average in external competitive research grants or refereed research publications by more than 30 percent.
7 Funding of research centres and groups
Research centres and groups receive annual funding from the Research Concentrations Funding Pool (RCPF) ***. This is allocated according to performance on the above quantitative criteria relative to the performance of other USC research centres and groups. The funding model comprises:
a. external research grants (weighted: National Competitive Grants x 2; other external research grants x 1), and
b. refereed research publications (weighted: tier 1 and 2 journals and equivalent x 2; other research publications x 1).
Research centres and groups are also able to apply for internal research grants and support for the development of research infrastructure.
8 Operation of research centres and groups
Research centres and groups operate within faculties and under the authority of Deans, but may involve staff from across the University and across disciplines.
9 Reporting and review of research centres and groups
Research centres and groups provide the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Research Management Committee with an annual report.
Research centres and groups undergo external review every three years, or at any time determined by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Research Management Committee.
10 Disestablishment of research centres and groups
Research centres and groups, through their directors, may propose to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Research Management Committee that they be disestablished at any time.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Research Management Committee may disestablish research centres and groups as an outcome of an external review.
Back to top