What is the IRRR about?

'Institute' is a grand-sounding name but don't get the wrong idea: the University of Ballarat's new Institute for Regional and Rural Research (IRRR) is a friendly, feet-on-the-ground body that plans to be seriously involved in making our region grow and prosper in the 21st century.

The University already has many partners amongst businesses and organisations across the region. We want to make these links work better - to seek out the new opportunities, the problems looking for answers and the questions that haven't even been thought of yet. The Institute is looking to work alongside industry in the social, environmental, economic and cultural development of the region.

Who might work with the IRRR?

Potential research partners cover the field:

Private enterprise - business and industry of all kinds
The public sector - state, federal government departments and local government
Regional communities
Non-profit organisations
Peak bodies with an interest in regional and rural issues.

Historically, the regions have not been good at taking up research in their own interests. In the past, research was regarded as the domain of big city business, or for research specialists like CSIRO, or for the old-universities.

That has to change. Ideas are today's major product - and beware any region (or regional enterprise) that ignores inventiveness and new approaches!

How will that IRRR work?

The IRRR plans to enhance the University's role in the economic, social and cultural growth in this regional community through...

building partnerships for regional growth - developing the ideas and their implementation
providing a focus and a force for research and development - new products and new markets, a new way of doing business and providing services
making the connections - R&D that makes the links between science, technology and social issues.

The idea of partnership is absolutely central to the way the IRRR and the University seeks to work. Our researchers are experienced and practical people with strong links to industry. You'll find that we speak your language and that we equally value the history, knowledge and inventiveness of industry.

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In regional and rural areas, the industries, their strengths and issues and the environment in which business is undertaken is distinctly different to their metropolitan counterparts. Rural and regional industry has different questions to respond to in order to remain viable or grow

And 'Regional and Rural' goes way beyond home markets. On the map, it's all the territory NOT marked with a big black dot - whether you're talking about Victoria, Australia or the world. That's a very big market for clever ideas!

The University of Ballarat is a genuinely 'regional and rural' institution - the only university in Victoria that's anchored in just one single and highly cohesive regional area.

That means a real connection and a real stake in helping to make this region vibrant, healthy and prosperous. Creative people and good ideas are the key to making that happen.

We look forward to talking with you about the possibilities.

Institute for Regional & Rural Research,

University of Ballarat

FORUMS 2004

Forum

Date

Agenda

Notes

Time & Venue

2004

Thursday,

02 September 2004

Forum Agenda

02/09/04

Notes from Forum

TIME:

12:30pm – 2:00pm

VENUE:

Research & Graduate Studies Training Room,

F Building, Ground Floor,

Mt Helen Campus,

University of Ballarat.

(Light Lunch provided)

RSVP:

Please RSVP to:

Kirsty Bernard,

Ph: 03 5327 9745

or email:

k.bernard@ballarat.edu.au

The Research Centres

Like everyone else in business, universities can not do everything. They have to pick winners. This University has a breadth of research experience which has historically involved engineering and has developed significant expertise in mathematics/IT; business management/tourism; environmental management; and, regional community health.

Special funding has been given to establish four Research Centres to focus on the regional and rural aspects of these latter areas of research strength.

The Institute will be the goal setter, coordinator and driver to grow these four Centres to something much more than the sum of their parts and deliver a real contribution to the future of this region.

Centre for Informatics and Applied optimisation (CIAO)

Heading this Centre is former Russian top mathematician, Professor Alex Rubinov, who joined the University’s staff in 1996.

His world-leading work in ‘global optimisation’ has helped attract many international rising research stars and to win major national research grants.

‘Global Optimisation’ is a very clever, new form of maths that can take on problems that previous forms just couldn’t tackle. It can be applied to anything from economic prediction, to cancer diagnosis, to very ‘intelligent’, automated telephone inquiry service.

‘Intelligent’ computing also has big implications in advancing the kinds of communications and information technology that can liberate rural and regional areas from the ‘tyranny of distance’. Telstra is one current research partner. You can visit the CIAO website by clicking here.

Centre for Environmental Management (CEM)

This Centre led by Professor Martin Westbrooke, is the University’s longest established research agency. It has built a strong reputation for its work in research and consultancy through, particularly, western Victoria and western New South Wales.

Research to improve management practices in forests, water catchments and national parks has been its main focus. Individual researchers are nationally recognised for their original work on the delicate ecology of arid zones.

Ballarat (through the CEM) is one of just three universities appointed by Parks Victoria’s Research Partners Program. This is a coordinated program to build long term strategic approach on research and management issues in the state’s national parks.

The CEM was chosen by Parks Victoria for its expertise in vegetation condition assessment and the application of Geographical Information Systems – linking computer analysis to the mapping ability of satellite positioning systems.

It is helping to develop better forest management strategies by providing objective information on the impact and sustainability of different cutting rates and regimes in state forests. You can visit the CEM website by clicking here.

Centre for Health Research and Practice (CHRP)

This Centre focusses on quality research, postgraduate education and community development in health and well-being and particularly its impact on people outside the major urban centres of Australia. Centre Director Assoc Prof John McDonald heads-up a team of over 70 research members with diverse research and practice backgrounds including nursing, psychology, sociology, and welfare. The Centre offers research and capacity building services (ie., program evaluation; service mapping; strategic planning; community profiles), and has six key areas of research expertise (Chronic Illness Management; Rural Professional Practice; Belonging and Connectedness; Child and Adolescent Well-being and Development; Clinical Nursing Practice; Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory). You can visit the CHRP website by clicking here.

Centre for Regional Innovation and Competitiveness (CRIC)

This Centre's mission is to explore the development of enterprise, business and community in a regional context and work with the public and private interests to influence measures that promote the growth and sustainability of regional Australia. Major research and development foci include tourism and heritage, enterprise development, regional models, E-commerce, agribusiness and rural industries. Professor Julian Lowe is the Director of this Centre. You can visit the CRIC website by clicking here.