Defining Quality for Research Training in Australia

CAPA has today released its submission for the Government’s Defining Quality for Research Training in Australia

Research education in Australia is critical not only to provide us with future generations of researchers and academic staff, but also in currently providing between 40 and 60% of the nation’s research output (NTEU, 2008). During a period in which the current Government has demonstrated a commitment to reviewing higher education more broadly, a focused review of best practice in research education is timely and appropriate. CAPA has, for over 30 years, campaigned for improvements to the quality of the research education environment, and provides this submission, in conjunction with our work on the review panel, to aid in defining and measuring quality at a Higher Degree by Research level.

The provision of adequate resources for research training, particularly through policy, physical resources, and funding, in conjunction with a standard for supervision, allows for candidates to high-quality research in a rich and positive manner.

The core of this submission reinforces many of the recommendations put forward by Nigel Palmer in the CAPA submission to the Research Workforce Strategy (Meeting Australia’s Research Workforce Needs – Consultation Paper Response, 2010)