Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) Val Alder

In our 25th anniversary year - which also happens to be the turn of the century and millennium – I want to reflect on our highly-successful history and our potential for a bright future in research.

Murdoch’s research position has never been stronger than it is today. We were created as a research university and have earned a strong reputation for the excellence of our research and teaching over the past 25 years. We have recently opened our second campus at Rockingham.

From the beginning, Murdoch was applauded for our collegial teaching atmosphere, our willingness to experiment with teaching styles such as external courses and our commitment to research. Murdoch’s community-based, cross-disciplinary research encouraged the University to concentrate on funding sources from many different industry linkages and other private and public sector bodies in its formative years. We made early use of the National Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program and other combined industry funding schemes, to good effect.

We are the host institution for the multi-award winning and recently renewed AJ Parker CRC for Hydrometallurgy and continue to host the CRC for Renewable Energy, as well as being a node in a number of successful CRCs. We have six State Centres of Excellence, two in the environmental area, one in software engineering, one in biomedical science, one in genetics and the sixth to assist in setting up the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre - the only WA research facility to be listed among the top 50 research facilities in Australia.

Among Australia’s 40 nationally funded research and teaching institutions we have an outstanding record. Murdoch performs excellently in research with significant value adding to basic DETYA funding, being placed 11th in research on a per capita basis when our size would place us at 28th out of 40.

Murdoch has an international reputation in the areas of research strength where we have chosen to focus our research efforts. Judicious staff selection and resourcing of laboratories, equipment and other forms of research support ensure that the highest level of quality research and research training is maintained. We take great care with our postgraduate teaching to ensure excellent outcomes and career prospects.

Murdoch University has come a long way since our first professors were appointed in the early 1970s and the first PhD student was enrolled in 1974. The articles in this edition show that many of the early research areas started in the ‘70s have become our areas of research strength - particularly the environment, mineral science, some humanities areas and biological, biomedical and veterinary research. Some of our foundation academics still work at Murdoch and reflecting on their achievements shows the long time scale required for quality research teams to be built, and the dedication of our researchers who often work a 37-hour week on administration and teaching before they even think about doing their own research.

Where to now? What is Murdoch’s vision for research in the 21st Century?

We are committed to being a stand-alone, research-intensive University. We will network into many other research institutions and Universities, industries and the public sector both nationally and internationally where there are excellent research groups, which complement our skills.

We will build on our current research strengths, and identify a select few emerging areas to support. This does not mean we will ignore high quality small research groups or individual researchers who do not fit naturally into our major areas. These too will be supported. We are encouraging multi-disciplinary research to solve real life problems and are planning for a smooth succession to ensure early career top-quality researchers are encouraged. We are encouraging academics who are balanced between teaching and research to favour one or the other, to make best use of their individual strengths.

Murdoch is identifying its significant intellectual property (IP) (much of it stored in researchers’ minds), patenting and seeking commercial partners with venture capital support. We have recently held an IP scan and are beginning to commercialise some of this IP. We have set up three spin-off companies from the University company Unico and have found venture capital partners for one of these.

We are encouraging our PhDs to link in with industry and we give them practical training to help them understand and move easily into the external work force.

None of this can be achieved without our many innovative, enthusiastic, able and committed researchers, who are prepared to work collaboratively. In these hard times that all Universities are facing in terms of reduced government funding, only a collegial approach to research will allow us and the community to reap the rewards

Murdoch University’s excellent research strengths, enterprise and innovation have guaranteed successful partnerships with both the commercial and public sector on a global scale, while meeting the needs of our community. Our vision and values demonstrate a continuing commitment to society combined with research excellence.

We are planning for a bright and vibrant future in research.