Group of Eight universities look for the French connection

Following the submarine deal, Australia’s universities are in a swoon for everything French.

Frederique Vidal, French Higher Education Minister

In today’s Higher Ed Daily Brief: Go8 goes deep, political ambition

Submarine largesse

With the French higher education minister in town, and the contract for Australia’s new French submarines signed earlier this month, there’s no better time for the Group of Eight universities to formally sign a series of memoranda of understanding with French defence companies Naval Group and Thales.

The said agreements will be signed today at a reception at the French embassy in Canberra with French Higher Education, Research and Industry Minister Frederique Vidal in attendance.

“The Go8 continues to demonstrate its commitment to working in successful partnership with France,” said the group’s CEO Vicki Thomson. “We are pleased these linkages, forged through a shared ethos of quality results and quality research, are continuing to grow and deepen.”

She said the Go8 universities had 16,926 co-publications with French partners from 2013

to 2018. “This is approximately 51 per cent of Australia-French co-publications during that period. The depth of the collaboration we share with France reveals a secure and trusted partnership,” she said.

Tomorrow Mme Vidal will be the keynote speaker at the Universities Australia conference in Canberra. Universities are expecting the submarine deal to yield an abundance of research linkages and exchange programs.

Higher calling

Following Notre Dame University vice-chancellor Celia Hammond’s hasty departure on Monday to contest Liberal preselection for Julie Bishop’s seat of Curtin in Perth, the university has elevated deputy vice-chancellor (corporate) Peter Tranter to fill her role. Until the surprise announcement Professor Hammond had been expected to step down towards the end of this year after over a decade in the vice-chancellor role.

The university had already started the business of finding her replacement and is now speeding up the process. We should expect to hear news in the near future, it says.

Professor Hammond’s move is unusual for a retiring vice-chancellor. Is she the first Australian university chief to make a bid to enter politics?