UOW 781 Passport.indd 1
Global Challenges Our journey continues
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES OUR LEADERS
4 OUR CHALLENGES
8
OUR PROJECTS
10 OUR PEOPLE
12
OUR PARTNERSHIPS
14 OUR GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
OUR RESEARCH LEADERSHIP
2
UOW 781 Passport.indd 2
> >
16
18
OUR OUTREACH
> >
OU
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
20
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES NAME PROFESSOR CHRIS GIBSON ROLE D I R E C TO R PROGRAM GLOBAL CHALLENGES PROGRAM L O C AT I O N UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG D AT E O F I S S U E NOVEMBER 2017
P O W E R F U L , I M PA C T F U L , T R A N S F O R M AT I V E
Now in our fifth year, the University of Wollongong’s Global Challenges Program has learned key lessons in what it means to fund and support transformative interdisciplinary research. This type of research can help tackle the world’s challenges and has the potential to transform lives and regions. We know this because the research we funded four years ago is now revealing true impact in ways which continue to inspire us on our journey. We look forward to where the next five years takes us.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 3
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> > 3
> >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
OUR LEADERS
Name DR TAMANTHA STUTCHBURY Role Research Strategy Leader About Overseeing Global Challenges funding rounds, as well as managing and growing internal and external networks, is critical to the success of the program. Also key is profiling the impact directly on our community, the region and globally. Five years on, we have witnessed both academic and transformational outcomes of our research. We are seeing projects flourish which otherwise may not have been funded without the support of the program.
> >
4
UOW 781 Passport.indd 4
> >
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
Name
PROFESSOR GEOFFREY SPINKS
Role Manufacturing Innovation Leader About 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.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 5
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> > 5
> >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
Name PROFESSOR LORNA MOXHAM Role Living Well, Longer Leader About The Living Well, Longer theme isn’t about finding the mythical fountain of youth. It’s about giving people the best possible chance to live full and productive lives well into their senior years, ensuring a better quality of life. By 2050, the number of Australians aged 50 and over will have increased by more than 80 per cent. Two of the major focus areas are ageing and mental health, and how we can maximise the mental and physical health of our ageing society.
> >
6
UOW 781 Passport.indd 6
> >
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
Name PROFESSOR CLIVE SCHOFIELD Role Leader, Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones
Name
DR KERRYLEE ROGERS
Role Deputy Leader, Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones
About 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.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 7
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> > 7
> >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
OUR CHALLENGES
W
ith the overarching aim of Transforming Lives and Regions, we take a global view by tackling challenges paramount to our local region but with great potential to make a difference on a larger scale. The Global Challenges Program is built on three core themes: Living Well, Longer; Manufacturing Innovation; and Sustaining Coastal and Marine Zones. Since the launch of Global Challenges in 2013, community and partner engagement is burgeoning, and the projects funded are now having direct impact in key areas of social, economic and community need.
> >
8
UOW 781 Passport.indd 8
> >
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 9
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?
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> > 9
> >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
F
rom Wollongong, Vietnam, Brazil, Jakarta, Kiribati, Bhutan to Antarctica our projects are far reaching and our networks continue to multiply.
With 600 researchers collaborating on 95 interdisciplinary projects we’re approaching global issues in a myriad of ways. Our approach broadens the application of disciplinary expertise, stretching beyond disciplinary comfort zones to meet a shared challenge. We’re changing the face of mental health and teaching the next generation of health providers about what’s not in text books. We’re making our communities dementia friendly. We are looking at how to mitigate the impacts of anchor scour, and how we can sequest carbon from mangroves to help fight climate change. We’re re-energising manufacturing in the region and using 3D printing technology in novel ways.
OUR PROJECTS
> > 1 0 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 10
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES GLOBAL CHALLENGES HAS SUPPORTED
95
EACH PROJECT IS RADICALLY INTERDISCIPLINARY WITH RESEARCHERS FROM THREE OR MORE FACULTIES
PROJECTS
$2.8 MILLION
INVESTED IN RESEARCH FUNDING
PROJECTS HAVE ATTRACTED
$19 MILLION
IN EXTERNAL FUNDING
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 11
A SEVEN-FOLD RETURN ON INVESTMENT
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> > 1 1
> >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
P
assion is at the heart of Global Challenges, and it’s our people that are at the heart of real change. Our researchers want to make a difference in the world – and they are not afraid to take risks.
OU
OUR PEOPLE
At Global Challenges, we’re passionate about true collaboration using diverse expertise to find answers, together. We fund riskier projects and support teams who haven’t worked collaboratively before. We don’t fund and forget either. Our people and partnerships are supported for the long haul, ensuring every project is given a chance to succeed and deliver tangible outcomes with impact. We are committed to recognising and cultivating the next generation of research leaders. Early career researchers and PhD candidates are encouraged to actively collaborate with senior professors, leading to diverse and inspired teams of like-minded researchers. Global Challenges brings passionate people together in unique ways and novel combinations to help address our global challenges. Unlikely partnerships have been forged across disciplines, across centres, industries and institutions, and often, across international boundaries and communities.
> > 1 2 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 12
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
423
GLOBAL CHALLENGES SUPPORTS
UNIQUE RESEARCHERS AN AVERAGE OF 6.4 INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCHERS PER PROJECT
91
OF PROJECT INVESTIGATORS ARE PHD STUDENTS
AWARDED TO STAFF AND STUDENTS
UOW 781 Passport.indd 13
G L O B A L
OF PROJECTS ARE LED BY EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS
13%
TRAVEL GRANTS
> > > > > > > > > > > >
31%
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> >1 3 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
E
xternal engagement is key to the success of the Global Challenges Program. By creating strong partnerships with industry, government, the private sector, nongovernment organisations and other Universities and community, we ensure our research has the most tangible impact on people and places that need it most. We nurture collaborative research projects to foster a supportive research community that drives social, economic and cultural change. Ultimately our research aims to touch lives and change worlds.
OUR PARTNERSHIPS
Many of our projects benefit from external support, enabling researchers to examine diverse and urgent issues such as the impact of dementia in an ageing population, the decline of regional manufacturing, the imminent threat of climate change on community fisheries or safeguarding against declining food security.
> > 1 4 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 14
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
$7 MILLION,
35%
OF GC PROJECTS INCLUDE CO-INVESTIGATERS FROM EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS
4
FOUR-YEAR
PARTNERSHIP
MOU’S SIGNED BETWEEN GLOBAL CHALLENGES AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS SINCE JULY 2013
WITH WORLDFISH TO IMPROVE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN THE PACIFIC
ENGAGED 22 ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES AND KEY AUSTRALIAN PORTS TO MINIMISE IMPACT OF DEEP-WATER VESSELS ON OUR ENVIRONMENT.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 15
SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA’S FIRST DEMENTIA FRIENDLY COMMUNITY IN KIAMA, NSW
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> >1 5 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OUR GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
OU
NORTH AMERICA
G
lobal Challenges is true to its name and the goal of addressing real-world problems with researchers from all disciplines and all backgrounds working collaboratively. With a 300-strong network with other Universities and industry organisation across the globe, we continue to solidify how, and where our local research expertise has the capacity to impact many lives and regions. We fund travel scholarships for staff and PhD students to attend conferences, participate in research at leading international laboratories, undertake exchange visits or conduct fieldwork anywhere in the world.
SOUTH AMERICA
We continue to invest in the next generation of research leaders, committed to growing research excellence.
> > 1 6 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 16
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
EUROPE
ASIA
PACIFIC
SOUTH AMERICA
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 17
ANTARCTICA AUSTRALIA
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> >1 7 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
A
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.
OU
OUR RESEARCH LEADERSHIP
Global Challenges is building the next generation of thought leaders. To date we have supported 17 PhD scholars and 91 travel scholarships for staff and students passionate about research and making a difference to the world.
“I travelled to United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA. My scholarship gave me the valuable opportunity to talk face-to-face with national delegations and representatives of intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations�
> > 1 8 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 18
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
TRAVEL SCHOLAR, FACULTY OF LAW, HUMANITIES AND THE ARTS
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 19
PHD STUDENT, FACULTY OF SCIENCE, MEDICINE AND HEALTH
“We had the opportunity to meet with leaders in our field. This helped us to think about how our project is relevant to other work being conducted.”
“The requirement to include staff from at least three faculties really forces you to ‘think outside the box’. This is helpful because people bring a different perspective, and often a different paradigm, to your own. I believe that this makes for a more holistic and comprehensive exploration of the research question, and as a consequence, a higher impact solution”
EARLY CAREER RESEARCHER, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> >1 9 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
B
y building a strong online presence via social media and a dedicated Global Challenges website and blog, we continue to help grow UOW’s research reputation for path-blazing, interdisciplinary research on a global level. We regularly host an informal seminar series called “A Conversation with…”various researchers to share learnings, as well as engage the wider community about the research directly making an impact on the ground. Global Challenges has supported several research events each year from workshops on how we can establish a blue economy, to a disability research network, to an Australian-wide summit on antimicrobial resistance or Global Climate Change Week. In 2017, Global Challenges hosted an inaugural interdisciplinary research conference bringing together researchers from diverse fields to respond to the challenge to transform vulnerability. This coincided with the launch of the McKinnon Walker Fellowship Program, where four international scholars were hosted for a period of two to four weeks to collaborate with UOW researchers.
OUR OUTREACH
> > 20 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 20
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
143
GC HAS HOSTED
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL EVENTS TO DATE
4798
PEOPLE HAVE PARTICIPATED IN GC EVENTS
2.2
MILLION PEOPLE HAVE WATCHED GC’S NEXT GEN CONDOM VIDEO
17000 HAVE VISITED GC’S WEBSITE
The McKinnon Walker Fellowship is made possible by former UOW Vice-Chancellor Emeritus Professor Ken McKinnon AO and his wife Ms Suzanne Walker, a UOW alumnus, who have made a life-long commitment to the importance of investing in bright ideas, cultivating innovation and supporting excellence through a personal philanthropic gift to UOW. The fellowship will help build global interdisciplinary research partnerships and grow a supportive, applied research community to address real-world problems in novel and unique ways.
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 21
G L O B A L
C H A L L E N G E S
P R O G R A M
> >2 1 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
OU
GLOBAL CHALLENGES MILESTONES Now in our fifth year, Global Challenges has achieved some significant milestones. These have been characterised by grassroots engagement among researchers, genuine novelty and lateral thinking, risk taking and scaling up dedicated resources for projects gathering steam.
SEP 2015 WHITEPAPER DISTRIBUTED
DEC 2013 FIRST GRANTS ALLOCATED JUL 2014 OFFICIAL LAUNCH
JUL 2013 PROGRAM COMMENCED
> > 2 2 > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 22
U N I V E R S I T Y
O F
W O L L O N G O N G
DEC 20 INTERDISCIPL SHOWC
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
ES
OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES
Transforming Vulnerability
AUG 2016 IMPACT LAUNCH & GLOBAL EVENT DEC 2015 INTERDISCIPLINARY SHOWCASE
> > > > > > > > > > > >
UOW 781 Passport.indd 23
OCT 2017 95 PROJECTS FUNDED
JUN 2017 EXTERNAL REVIEW
Transforming Vulnerability
G L O B A L
Transforming Vulnerability
C H A L L E N G E S
NOV 2017 CONFERENCE & MCKINNON WALKER FELLOWSHIP
Transforming Vulnerability
P R O G R A M
> >2 3 > >
8/11/2017 9:58 AM
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
UOW 781 Passport.indd 24
8/11/2017 9:58 AM