UC's research income triples in a year

Claudia Doman

15 February 2012:  The University of Canberra is on course to achieving its goal of becoming a world-ranked research university having tripled its research income last year.

In 2011, the University of Canberra signed new research contracts to a value of $21.2 million dollars, which was almost three times the $7.2 m value of contracts signed during 2010; its highest level of research income to date.

“The University of Canberra is placing a renewed emphasis on research. We have appointed a large number of new researchers and attracted more research students who are now capitalising on their expertise and winning more grants and signing new contracts," Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Frances Shannon said.

“This increase is fantastic news and puts us on the right path to achieve our goal of becoming a world-ranked research university.”

Dr Sandra Heaney-Mustafa, one of the UC researchers involved in the Pakistan research project. Photo: Munawar Kazmi

A total of 111 new research contracts were signed in 2011 compared to 94 in 2010.

“We are winning more grants, but what is more significant is the increase in the value of the grants and contracts we’re receiving,” Professor Shannon said.

The research areas that were substantial recipients of government research and evaluation contracts and competitive grants were environmental science, education and health.

These are some examples of the major research projects undertaken by the University in the last year:

• In May, the University was awarded $6.3 m to lead the Murray-Darling Basin Futures $13.7 collaborative research network project towards building resilience in the Murray-Darling Basin in collaboration with four other Australian universities and key government partners.
  
  
• In June, a $1.4m grant from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research was awarded to a team of community development experts at the University of Canberra to improve the livelihoods of poor and marginalised rural households in Pakistan.
  
  
• In July, researchers from the University’s Centre for Research and Action in Public Health received $1.8 million to investigate the role of nurse practitioners in the aged care sector.
  
  
• Research projects to reduce asthma-related deaths, the development of vaccines for diseases including HIV and cancer, and whether midwifery care increases natural births received more than $1 million in funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
  
  
• The role of technology in keeping a work-life balance and the factors keeping older Australians away from the workforce are among four research projects that raised more than $1million in prestigious grants from the Australian Research Council.