‘Capability and ingenuity’: Higher education’s partnership revolution
By Anders Furze
The traditional view of university researchers as stuck in ivory towers separated from the real world is changing.
Organisations from SMEs to ASX 200 companies alike are increasingly partnering with the higher education sector to investigate solutions to pressing problems and address skills shortages.
“Universities have the capability, we have the people and we have the ingenuity to support the development of new products and ideas in the Australian economy and beyond,” says Luke Sheehy, the chief executive of Universities Australia, the sector’s peak body.
Luke Sheehy, CEO of Universities Australia.Credit: Joe Armao
As specialists in both discovery and applied research, universities have expertise across the innovation pipeline. That means ideas can be prototyped and refined well before coming to market.
“What’s attractive to many businesses is that a lot of the pre-work is done through the Australian research system, so businesses can come along and start testing ideas in a very sophisticated university ecosystem.“
Accelerating SME and start-up impact
Governments at all levels are increasingly recognising the value of fostering closer collaborations between industry and universities. Breakthrough Victoria, for example, launched in 2021 as a private investment company for the southern state, and has invested in a range of university start-up accelerators and partnerships.
At the federal level, the $370 million Trailblazer Universities Program and $1.6 billion Australia’s Economic Accelerator program are funding research translation and commercialisation in priority areas.
“There’s been a lot of work in recent years to turbo-charge the collaboration between industry and universities, and that’s been really exciting,” says Sheehy.
“Australia is an SME economy. So, it’s great that SMEs can collaborate with universities, drawing on expertise, mentoring and rapid product prototyping. And there’s a lot more industry permanently positioned on university
campuses now.“
Governments are backing closer ties between industry and universities,Credit: Louie Douvis
Tackling skills shortages
With the world of work transforming rapidly, organisations are turning to upskilling and reskilling their people to keep up with ongoing disruption.
“Universities are playing a role in upskilling workers after they’ve received a degree,” Sheehy says.
“They’re working directly with businesses on enterprise learning packages and developing the right curriculum to upskill their workforce.“
Rethinking the PhD
As well as offering skills development for professionals, closer industry ties are also leading to a rethinking of the qualifications offered by universities.
Take the PhD for example: unlike in countries such as the United States, a research doctorate in Australia has traditionally been seen as solely a ticket to an academic career, and even a barrier to accessing industry.
But there is growing awareness that having the degree signals to employers an interest and capacity to learn new things.
Industry partners are also increasingly co-designing research projects with universities, giving research students the chance to solve real problems and gain valuable professional skills.
Universities Australia’s Luke Sheehy says that growing awareness of the value of a PhD by industry organisations is “an exciting part of the Australian workforce”.
“We’re playing catch-up, but we’re really trying hard to ensure that PhD students are not only getting industry opportunities, but the skills they need to succeed in a lifelong career.”
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