From the Chancellery:
world-class research rating

I frequently feel very proud of this university, and the results of the first Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment released in late January, confirmed that there is indeed much to be proud about. Our performance was very pleasing, as were the comparisons with the rest of the sector.

For a university barely two decades old to have around 70 per cent of its assessed research rated world-class is exceptional, especially when you consider that the assessment was based on data collected between 2003 and 2008, when much of our research culture was still very young.

This is a tribute to all of our researchers and their assistants as well as to everyone within the university who has shared the vision of UniSA becoming a significant research institution.

I hope that you share my excitement not just about what we have achieved, but also at how this places us to achieve even more in the future.

Chemical sciences deserves a special mention, as we were ranked equal first in the country in this broad field; but what really stands out for me is the diversity of our achievement.

The list – and it is a long one – also includes fields such as engineering, mathematical sciences, environmental sciences, business and management, accounting and auditing, social work, tourism, education systems, built environment and design, creative arts and writing, historical studies, a wide range of medical and health science disciplines, and language, communication and culture. Even law is there, and we’ve only had a law school since 2007.

All four of our divisions are represented and the mix of traditional and emerging disciplines is exciting and a clear pointer to our growth as an institution.

In recent years we have made it a priority to develop, attract, nurture and support great researchers and those with the potential to be great. Consider the following.

• Two thirds of our academics hold doctorates (placing us in the top 10 nationally last year) and we now have more than 1000 PhD students heading in the same direction.
• We more than doubled our research income, to $58M, between 2004 and 2009.
• In the past four years we have appointed 13 UniSA ResearchSA Chairs and 26 externally and competitively funded research fellows and we now rank in the top five in Australia for funding awarded to support Cooperative Research Centres.

As Paul Keating once said, that is a beautiful set of numbers, and they add up to a very bright future. A future where all our students increasingly will benefit from a learning experience infused and augmented by research of world standing.

Professor Peter Høj
Vice Chancellor and President