THE JOURNEY SO FAR
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR Name
PROFESSOR CHRIS GIBSON Role
DIRECTOR Program
GLOBAL CHALLENGES PROGRAM Location
UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG Date of Issue
FEBRUARY 2015
Introduction Welcome to the Global Challenges Program, a new way of funding research that aims to bring people together in high-quality research to make an impact on the world around us. The University of Wollongong has developed Global Challenges to respond to some of the issues facing the world in the 21st century. As a social geographer, I feel passionate about what Global Challenges aims to achieve. It is unashamedly ambitious, but I know our multidisciplinary research approach will transform lives and regions.
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N a m e PROFESSOR LORNA MOXHAM Role
Living Well, Longer Leader
A b o u t The Living Well, Longer theme isn’t about finding the mythical fountain of youth. It’s about managing the ageing process to give people the best possible chance to continue to live full and productive lives well into their senior years. Living Well, Longer applies to every aspect of a person’s life, so it could be about health, relationships, housing, transport, social services, sustainability and finances – or a combination of some or all.
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR N a m e PROFESSOR CLIVE SCHOFIELD Role
Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones Leader
A b o u t Coastal and marine zones are increasingly important yet are also under greater and greater threat. Pollution and dumping, overfishing, destruction of valuable habitats, the growth of coastal mega-cities, and, of course, climate change, are all having serious impacts. Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones represents an enormous challenge and one that is global in scope, but directly relevant to us all.
N a m e PROFESSOR GEOFFREY SPINKS Role
Manufacturing Innovation Leader
A b o u t The face of Australian manufacturing is changing. Global pressures mean that manufacturers need to constantly innovate to remain competitive. We aim to help businesses develop innovative products and improved ways to make them. And that is why Manufacturing Innovation is so important, on a local and global level.
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aunched in July 2013, Global Challenges is focused on three core challenges – Living Well, Longer; Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones; and Manufacturing Innovation.
The challenges are united under the overarching research theme of Transforming Lives and Regions, recognising the interconnected nature of regional transformation. How do social, economic, and environmental forces impact a community, and how does that community adapt to the changes taking place? The three challenges all have an essential role to play. Global Challenges is having an impact locally, nationally, and globally by drawing on multidisciplinary expertise across UOW and beyond.
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TRANSFORMING LIVES AND REGIONS WHAT DOES TRANSFORMATION LOOK LIKE? WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO WE WANT TO SHAPE FOR THE FUTURE?
LIVING WELL, LONGER HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT A LONG LIFE IS ALSO A SECURE AND HEALTHY LIFE, PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, SOCIALLY, AND ECONOMICALLY?
MANUFACTURING INNOVATION WHAT SHOULD WE BE MAKING IN AUSTRALIA AND HOW SHOULD WE BE MAKING IT?
SUSTAINING COASTAL AND MARINE ZONES HOW CAN WE ENSURE THE PROTECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF OUR PRECIOUS COASTAL AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTS?
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akarta. Manchester. Seoul. San Francisco. Ho Chi Minh City. Wollongong. Global Challenges’ projects are having an impact in our own backyard and across the globe.
Global Challenges researchers are tackling mental health issues; examining the myriad uses of our vital oceans and ports; re-energising the Illawarra’s manufacturing industry; addressing flooding in coastal mega-cities; and creating the next-generation condom to revolutionise birth control in the developing world. The projects are far-reaching and ambitious, but they will have a true impact on the world around us.
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR GLOBAL CHALLENGES CURRENTLY HAS
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EACH PROJECT IS TRULY MULTIDISCIPLINARY WITH RESEARCHERS FROM THREE OR MORE FACULTIES
ACTIVE PROJECTS
$1.3 MILLION
INVESTED IN RESEARCH FUNDING
PROJECTS HAVE ATTRACTED
$7.6 MILLION
IN EXTERNAL FUNDING
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A FIVE-FOLD RETURN ON INVESTMENT
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assion is at the heart of Global Challenges. Our researchers want to make a difference in the world – and they are not afraid to take risks.
Global Challenges brings passionate people together in unique and interesting ways. Unlikely partnerships have been forged across disciplines, across centres and institutions, and, often, across international boundaries. Early career researchers are encouraged to actively collaborate with senior professors, leading to diverse and creative teams of like-minded researchers.
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GLOBAL CHALLENGES SUPPORTS
RESEARCHERS FROM ACROSS UOW’S
FIVE FACULTIES
AN AVERAGE OF 6.5 MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCHERS PER PROJECT
20
OF PROJECT INVESTIGATORS ARE EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
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TRAVEL SCHOLARS HAVE HIT THE ROAD FOR GLOBAL CHALLENGES
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STUDENTS AWARDED PHD TOP-UP SCHOLARSHIPS
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xternal engagement is central to Global Challenges. By creating strong partnerships with industry, government, the private sector, and non-government organisations, we are ensuring that our research will have a tangible impact on the people and communities who need it most. Global Challenges has signed Memoranda of Understanding with four key organisations. In addition, a number of projects benefit immensely from external support, enabling researchers to examine diverse and urgent problems, such as the impact of dementia on an ageing population or flooding in the coastal mega-city of Jakarta.
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28%
OF GLOBAL CHALLENGES PROJECTS HAVE AN EXTERNAL PARTNER OR COLLABORATOR
FOUR MOUS SIGNED BETWEEN GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS SINCE JULY 2013
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$3.8 MILLION, FOUR-YEAR
PARTNERSHIP
WITH WORLDFISH TO IMPROVE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN THE PACIFIC
NSW OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE: ENCOURAGING GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE HOME AND THE OFFICE IRT: COMMITMENT TO WORK TOGETHER ON HOW WE CAN ENJOY A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE AS WE AGE SOUTHERN COUNCILS GROUP AND NSW PUBLIC WORKS’ MANLY HYDRAULICS LABORATORY: TARGETS CRITICAL ISSUES AFFECTING COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS, SUCH AS RISING SEA LEVELS
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR NORTH AMERICA
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lobal Challenges is true to its name and its goal of addressing the major problems facing the wider world. The program is building a strong research network comprising 300 university and industry organisations in Australia and across the globe. Global Challenges’ Travel Scholars funding provides scholarships annually for PhD students to attend conferences, participate in research at leading international laboratories, undertake exchange visits at overseas universities or conduct fieldwork anywhere in the world. We are continuously engaging with world-class researchers and reinforcing the need to think local, act global.
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR EUROPE
ASIA PACIFIC
SOUTH AMERICA
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ddressing the major problems facing our world requires a generational change, a shift in the way we grow young researchers. It demands an ability to look beyond disciplines and beyond geographical constraints, to imagine a world where collaborative partners lie not just in the next office but also on the other side of the globe. Global Challenges is building the next generation of thought leaders. To date, we have supported 17 PhD and 20 Travel Scholars, who are passionate about research and about making a difference in the world.
My presentation at a conference in Sweden in 2014 has created new collaborative links around the world, and thus improved UOW’s international recognition
MITCHELL JUST PHD SCHOLAR MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR ABHIJITH ANAND PHD SCHOLAR MANUFACTURING INNOVATION
I am spending a year at McGill University in Montreal working on my research. It would not have been possible without Global Challenges
Global Challenges started me thinking about my research in a broader context
RACHAEL BARTLETT PHD SCHOLAR LIVING WELL, LONGER
I have established a collaboration with a researcher at Duke University which is a major stepping stone in my career as an early career researcher
JESSICA ANDREWS PHD TRAVEL SCHOLAR LIVING WELL, LONGER
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Following her research trip to Spain, Marie-Claire Demers has been an excellent ambassador for UOW, Global Challenges, and my lab
SUPERVISOR PROFESSOR ANDY DAVIS PHD SUPERVISOR ON MARIE-CLAIRE DEMERS PHD TRAVEL SCHOLAR, SUSTAINING COASTAL AND MARINE ZONES C H A L L E N G E S
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y building a strong online presence via social media and a dedicated Global Challenges blog, we are helping UOW build its reputation for groundbreaking, multidisciplinary research on a global level. In 2014, Global Challenges launched a new series, A Conversation With, which engages renowned researchers. The format has proved a success, attracting eminent visiting speakers and providing a forum in which they can ground their careers and research. Hundreds of UOW students and staff have attended the public conversations, which are also broadcast to audiences around the world.
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THE JOURNEY SO FAR GLOBAL CHALLENGES LAUNCHED
A CONVERSATION WITH UOW RESEARCHERS HOLD A PUBLIC CONVERSATION WITH A RENOWNED VISITING ACADEMIC FOUR CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN HELD TO DATE AND ALL HAVE BEEN FILMED AND PROMOTED ONLINE TO AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE HOSTED OR FACILITATED
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NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS TO DATE, REACHING MORE THAN 1800 PEOPLE
GLOBAL CHALLENGES BLOG LAUNCHED IN MARCH 2014 WITH
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GLOBAL CHALLENGES TWITTER ACCOUNT
@UOWGC
IS AMONG THE TOP FIVE UOW ACCOUNTS
UNIQUE VISITORS TO DATE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON UOW’S GLOBAL CHALLENGES PROGRAM: Level 2, Building 20 UOW Main Campus P: (02) 4221 4261 W: globalchallenges.uow.edu.au E: globalchallenges@uow.edu.au B: uowblogs.com/globalchallenges Tweet us: @UOWGC