Julia Gillam’s Post

A new report from UNSW reveals the substantial economic contributions of scientific research. As Professor Richard Holden, the report’s author and UNSW Business School Dean Professor Frederik Anseel explain: "scientific research is not just a pursuit of knowledge, but a significant driver of productivity and a contributor to economic and social prosperity." UNSW Science contributes $2.2 billion annually to the economy, with a striking 84% of this value benefiting markets beyond Australia’s borders. A clear example of this global reach is UNSW’s development of membrane technology for water filtration in the 1970s—a breakthrough now used in water treatment facilities worldwide. When you pour a glass of water in any city, there’s a good chance it’s been filtered using UNSW science and technology. The report also emphasizes UNSW’s academic standing, with a significant share of its work featured in the world’s top 1% of journals. However, it goes beyond traditional metrics, introducing new Impact Indicators that assess broader contributions: transforming lives, advancing sustainability, and spurring commercial innovation. #UNSW #Economics #Science #Innovation

UNSW is leading Australian universities in science. “Based on traditional measures of output UNSW produces more scientific knowledge than any other university However one slices it, UNSW leads. In number of papers, number of papers in top 5% or top 1% outlets, in citations, in field- weighted citations, UNSW leads.” Engineering Energy Materials science Chemistry Chemical engineering Computer science Environmental Mathematics Neuroscience Psychology Agricultural and biological science Earth and planetary science Genetics See what some of our UNSW Science researchers are doing in this report! #SDGS #globalimpact #impact #changelives #contribution #unswscience

What does it mean to be a sustainable university? Universities have been taking action on sustainability for over 30 years. But activity in the curriculum, in research and the university estate is often fragmented and could be much more joined up. Sustainability can become about specific projects and events, rather than an approach embedded across the whole institution. Join us for this free event from Advance HE, where we share the results of a global systematic literature review, and five case studies from Universities that have made significant progress in becoming sustainable institutions. Iain Cross Kim Ansell Kay Hack (PFHEA) Advance HE https://lnkd.in/eQDE7yBY Thu, 29/02/2024 - 12:30-13.30 GMT #highered #advancehe #academia #highereducation #highereducation #university #universities #teachingandlearning #academia #academics #sustainable #sustainability #sustainabilityresearch #universityresearch #sustainabilityleadership #sustainabledevelopment #sustainableeducation #educationforsustainabledevelopment #campus Photo credit Tim Gouw Unsplash.

📢 New working paper by Leonard Kelleher and Tomas Coates Ulrichsen on dynamic capabilities used by universities for knowledge exchange in a 'new normal' of more frequent and disruptive shocks (e.g. Covid-19). 👉 https://lnkd.in/ecDxFAcP Shocks increase uncertainty and precautionary behaviour, disrupting innovation systems. Universities are increasingly expected to play more active roles in driving innovation, particularly after disruptive shocks. In our 'new normal' of more frequent shocks, it is vital we identify how universities strategically adjust following these disruptions. We can do this by identifying 'dynamic capabilities' universities use to reconfigure and recombine resources to sense, seize, and scale innovation opportunities. in this study, we interviewed leaders in 17 UK universities about their strategic responses to boost knowledge exchange and innovation in the post-pandemic landscape. Main findings:  🔸Universities used a wide range of dynamic capabilities to strategically adjust knowledge exchange & innovation activities post-pandemic. 🔸The capabilities predominantly used would be expected to generate incremental, path dependent change rather than transformative societal change. 🔸This suggests a reflexivity failure which may limit universities' role in managing sustainability transitions. Our working paper provides a tool intended to address this failure, to help university leaders enhance their strategic management abilities for knowledge exchange, including in transition management. #knowledgeexchange #sustainabledevelopmentgoals

As the Government consults on its Industrial Strategy Green Paper great to see this wide ranging piece from Arnab Basu MBE DL about how Universities are delivering impact and can do more. #IndustrialStrategy Durham University Russell Group of Universities

"𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒" Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hosting a workshop on academia's crucial role in tackling the climate and social crises, and the steps we can take to promote sustainability within Universities and research. Using teaching methods from my course at the University of Vienna along with methods from the Climate Fresk workshop, we engaged in lively discussions. This allowed students to delve into academia's transformative challenges and explore actionable solutions to enhance sustainability within higher education. My key takeaway from our discussion is: 💪 Empowerment gap: Students conveyed a lack of empowerment, questioning their ability to make a change, have an impact in academia and society.    ⏳ Time and space constraints: Balancing part-time jobs with studies leaves many students lacking the time and mental space for meaningful sustainability discussions and actions. Once again, climate justice cannot be achieved without social justice.    🤓 Demand for interdisciplinary courses: There is a clear demand for more sustainability-focused courses across all disciplines, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to address these pressing issues. A heartfelt thank you to ÖH Uni Wien for organizing the Sustainability Week and providing a platform to discuss this vital cause. 📷 Antoine El-Hayek Source of the quote: https://lnkd.in/eV8UVwqc #academia #sustainability #universities #future #transformation

🏆 Best in #industry, #innovation, and #infrastructure The Technical University of Munich has successfully defended its pole position in the Times Higher Education University Impact Rankings 2024 The rankings identify universities that excel across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (#SDG) and their contribution to sustainable innovation, taking into account research, spin-offs, and industry partnerships. TUM received the maximum number of points and was ranked No.1 for the fourth time, along with seven other universities. 😊 Our TUM School of Management students benefit from our research and collaboration with the industry and our entrepreneurial education. 📚 We believe in a close link between academia and industry to prepare students for their future role in the economy. 🏭 For its University Impact Rankings, the highly respected British magazine Times Higher Education (THE) evaluates the impact of universities in different categories. The score in the Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure category reflects 👉 the number of research publications in areas with a high impact on sustainable innovation, such as energy, Industry 4.0 and smart cities. The ranking also reflects the 👉 number of citations of research work in patents, 👉 the number of spin-offs founded, and 👉 the volume of research income received from industry. THE evaluated 1,018 universities from 101 countries/regions for the SDGS 9. ➡ to the ranking: https://lnkd.in/eiixZfhU #sustainabledevelopment #THEranking #innovation

The phenomenal ranking of ETH and EPFL shows that when universities provide word-class intellectual property, they can have access to significant financial resources. Universities should abandon a generalistic approach to fund-raising and concentrate on targeted projects.

It’s refreshing to be at the Universities UK conference and to listen to two ministers, Peter Kyle (Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology) and Jacqui Smith (Minister of State for Skills) and to hear them say things like: “My political mission came to enable all who can benefit from HE to be able to access”, “University is life-changing”, “Our words and actions will be informed by conversations with VCs”, “The war against universities is over”, “We will work in partnership with universities”, “Digital inclusion is the progressive challenge of our age”. Inevitably there was a lack of immediate answers to the sector’s financial sustainability challenges but the strong impression given was that they get the issues, they know solutions need to be found, and they will look at the evidence and collaborate with University leaders to find a long term sustainable funding model.

📣 New report featuring the Developing Business-Aware Academics project!  📣 The National Centre for Universities and Business (NCUB) is calling for policy which removes barriers to cross-sector careers and the mobility of researchers. Our case study highlights how we’re supporting doctoral and early-career researchers through evidence-led training to engage more effectively and confidently beyond academia: “By building their confidence in engaging with non-academic partners we can ensure that, regardless of whether they remain in academia or move on to careers in industry, their expertise is recognised and applied for the benefit of society at large.” We champion the advantages of collaboration and movement between sectors both within and beyond academia, and we provide researchers with the tools to do so. It’s inspiring to see so many fantastic people and initiatives highlighted in this report! Alison Truelove; Prosper ; Frances Burstow and Sunayna Sethi at UK Research and Innovation; Destina Thompson at The British Academy; Professor Dame Karen Holford at Cranfield University; Dr Kathryn North at C-DICE; Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC); and CDT in Green Industrial Futures Read the full report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eG66MxgE #UKInnovation #KnowledgeExchange #Researcher #ResearchMobility #Innovation