Flinders Uni is asking the community about key research problems

Professor Ray Chan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Flinders University. Picture: Anthony Weate

In an era of rapid change and complex challenges, what should we prioritise? It’s a question Flinders University is putting to the people, to discover what hot button issues matter most to our communities.

Our national Wicked Problems Survey of 30,000 Australians is an unprecedented opportunity for citizens to decide which issues our leading researchers should tackle.

Will it be public health crises, sustainability, cost of living, social inequality? Perhaps emerging technologies that are reshaping the world in unprecedented ways for future generations? The fact is, we don’t know – and that’s the point.

The way we approach science and research as a nation requires a major rethink. From climate change and biodiversity loss to artificial intelligence and ageing populations, these significant issues are multifaceted and require new thinking and new solutions.

By approaching our research differently and identifying the root of the problem through community collaboration, Flinders intends to blend expertise, breaking down scientific silos to tackle the interconnected challenges of the future on a national and global scale.

Innovation and industry collaboration will flourish when scientists from different backgrounds join forces for the greater good, sharing ideas for far-reaching solutions that may otherwise remain undiscovered or victim to tunnel vision.

We know it works – just look at Australia’s response to the largest public health challenge of our time, the Covid-19 pandemic.

It required the collaboration of virologists, epidemiologists, public health officials, and community leaders. By combining scientific expertise with local knowledge and practical, real-world insights, Australia was able to implement effective public health measures and vaccination campaigns.

We believe this kind of approach ought not be the exception. The world is facing myriad challenges. We cannot afford ‘more of the same’.

Transdisciplinary science combining evidence-based approaches across many fields of research, working together with industry, and listening to those with lived experience in the community creates an environment where innovation and fearless thinking can flourish.

Our Wicked Problems Survey is in its early stage, but we’re not resting on our laurels. We’ve been pioneering new approaches to collaborative research to ensure we’re well prepared to respond to the community’s priorities.

One example is our Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute’s sleep health team, which is making lifesaving advances in sleep apnoea and insomnia. Another is our world-leading analysis of vision loss, disease prediction and prevention in the areas of glaucoma and inflammatory eye diseases such as syphilis and toxoplasmosis.

Our focus on advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing sees us working with communities to ensure social and cultural contexts are driving inclusive health policies and programs.

Whether it’s our award-winning point-of-care pathology testing on Country to support faster health outcomes for remote communities or collaborating in areas such as Indigenous women’s memory stories, activism, protection of country and creative and visual arts, we’re listening and respecting Indigenous ways of doing, being and knowing.

Flinders is also leading an unprecedented $34 million initiative that is transforming the way Australia supports its ageing population. Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA) focuses on addressing critical needs in the aged care sector around workforce capability, technology innovation, collaborative research and provides trustworthy information for aged care workers, service providers, older Australians, and their families.

Flinders has researchers tackling drought resilience, the impacts of climate change and climate change policy, and the management of Australia’s limited groundwater and environmental health.

We’ve just invested $280 million in a state-of-the-art Health and Medical Research Building to bring together more than 600 researchers, fostering new research connections and discovering new ways of tackling challenges.

We’re also investing in national security, advancing AUKUS education and research with the construction of the first-of-its-kind Factory of the Future, a world-class advanced manufacturing facility designed to bring together industry, education and researchers, to develop sovereign capabilities in key sectors including defence and digital technologies. Flinders University’s Factory of the Future is supported by grant funding from the Australian Government and $9 million funding from the South Australian government. In fact, since 2018 Flinders has enjoyed the fastest growth in research income of any Australian university*, and the latest available Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) data shows almost 140 per cent growth in research income over the past 5 years**.

Traditional approaches within single disciplines aren’t enough to make the difference we need. All the evidence points to collaboration as the only approach that achieves significant scientific impact. That’s why Flinders is fearlessly tackling ‘wicked problems’ in lock-step with community, for a better future.

Professor Ray Chan is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research) at Flinders University.

* HERDC data 2018-2022

** HERDC data 2017-2022 (rounded up from 138.02%)