The University of Wollongong has joined the James Martin Institute

The University of Wollongong has joined the James Martin Institute, which leverages university expertise to give policy advice to government.

University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson.

The James Martin Institute, which leverages university expertise to give policy advice to government, has added the University of Wollongong to its list of institutional partners.

Wollongong vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson said that, by joining forces with JMI, the university could “work alongside government and other universities to deliver impact on a much larger scale, by bringing our expertise to the table on a range of government priorities and complex societal challenges”.

She said that her university already had a “long and proud history of collaboration with local industry and community partners”.

JMI’s goal is to use the social science expertise in universities to help policy makers tackle complex challenges and find innovative solutions.

Since its launch in August 2021 it has worked with government on a range of issues including artificial intelligence, domestic violence, economic reform, regional, rural and remote schools, and women’s economic opportunity.

Wollongong joins the University of Sydney, the University of Western Sydney, UNSW, UTS and Charles Sturt University as partner in JMI, along with the NSW government. Its participation means that a majority of the ten NSW universities are now JMI partners and, through it, supply their expertise to public policy making in NSW

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said the addition of the University of Wollongong to JMI would add a regional perspective to policy debates.

JMI chief executive Libby Hackett said “the breadth of UOW’s cutting-edge research and innovation, combined with its commitment to the Illawarra, will add significant value”.