A Question of Scale and Focus at the University of Adelaide, Australia: Trends in Research Management and Support at the Institutional Level

Abstract

Adelaide University's mission is to advance knowledge, understanding and culture through scholarship, research, teaching and community service of great international distinction and integrity. It is committed to producing both researchers and graduates recognised world-wide for their creativity, knowledge and skills. Its major management challenges can be summarised as: • a need to shift the culture of Adelaide University (AU) to one which is more responsive to the changes in the external environment (policy; funding; community expectations; and the demands of a knowledge based economy); • to encourage staff to take ownership of the University strategic and operational plans in positioning the University to fulfil its mission; • to recognise that multiple career paths outside universities are more likely to be the reality for today's Higher Degree Research (HDR) students than a university academic position and to set in place research training plans, structures and programs that support this; • to maintain the vitality of the institution's core business whilst it is re-positioning itself to meet external policy and funding challenges; • to respond to ever increasing legal and ethical compliance issues regarding the conduct and commercialisation of research and to develop risk management strategies that can deal with these; • to be a key contributor to the development of a knowledge based economy within South Australia; and • to promote interdisciplinary linkages both in terms of projects and higher degree research student supervision.