Higher Degree by Research

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) welcomes the release today of an Interim Report from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation on the Inquiry into Research Training and Research Workforce Issues in Australian Universities.

The stage is set for a series of important reforms in higher education, with a range of reports due between now and the end of the year.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) has published a summary of important developments for postgraduate students in an Issues Paper released today.

Research training in Australia – public hearing in Townsville

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation will conduct its sixth interstate public hearing for its research training inquiry in Townsville on Tuesday, 19 August.

“This inquiry focuses on the adequacy and effectiveness of current research training schemes, the factors that determine whether new graduates pursue a career in research, and the opportunities for career advancement for research graduates and staff,” said Committee Chair Maria Vamvakinou.

Research training in Australia - public hearing in Brisbane

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation will conduct its fifth interstate public hearing for its research training inquiry in Brisbane on Monday, 18 August.

“This inquiry focuses on the adequacy and effectiveness of current research training schemes, the factors that determine whether new graduates pursue a career in research, and the opportunities for career advancement for research graduates and staff,” said Committee Chair Maria Vamvakinou.

STANDING COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRY, SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
PROGRAM: Perth Public Hearings

Tuesday 12 August 2008
9.00 am to 2.00 pm
Room 1, Level 1, Legislative Assembly, 11 Harvest St, Perth

9.00 – 9.45 Professor Su Lloyd

9.45 – 10.30 Institute Postdoctoral Researchers Association at the
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Western Australia

10.45 – 12.15 Roundtable:

    * Curtin University of Technology
    * Edith Cowan University

On 13 March 2008, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education, the Hon Julia Gillard MP, announced a major review of Australia’s higher education system which will examine and report on the future direction of the higher education sector, its fitness for purpose in meeting the needs of the Australian community and economy and the options for ongoing reform. [From the DEEWR website]

On the 4th of June 2008 Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, announced the release of the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative consultation paper.

Administered by Australian Research Council (ARC), the Consultation Paper was the first formal step in communicating with the sector regarding the ERA initiative (it is worth noting that the ERA is being administered by the ARC, whereas its predecessor, the Research Quality Framework (RQF), was administered by the (then) Department of Education, Science and Training(then DEST, now DEEWR)).

On the 23rd of May 2008 Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, called for interested Australians to respond to a consultation paper on the development of the Government’s new Future Fellowships scheme.

In the Federal Budget, the Government met its election commitment to fund the $844 million Future Fellowships scheme for top mid-career researchers.

The Graduate Junction Explained

The Graduate Junction is a brand new website designed to help young researchers make contact with others who share similar research interests, regardless of which department, institution or country they work in. The Graduate Junction has been developed by two doctoral students at the
University of Durham, UK. Since its launch in May 2008, The Graduate Junction has proved very popular with research students and academics alike. Within the first two weeks 2000 students registered in the U.K. and the news spread to over 40 countries.

UNIVERSITIES will lose the right to claim credit for the publications of researchers they have nurtured under a proposal to ensure federal research money follows them from post to post.

The proposal to use the location of researchers at a specified census date rather than the institution where the research activity took place is contained in the Australian Research Council's discussion paper on the federal Government's Excellence in Research for Australia initiative.