Why Bond is one of the 15 ‘fast moving’ research universities

Bond University vice-chancellor Tim Brailsford explains why his institution is one of the 15 ‘fast moving’ research universities.

Bond University vice-chancellor Tim Brailsford.

Bond University, a non-public institution on the Gold Coast, is well known for its high-quality teaching. But it is also an ambitious research institution and vice-chancellor Tim Brailsford says the university made a clear decision, five or six years ago, to “accelerate our research path”.

The strategy had to be shaped to be effective in a small institution like Bond. Brailsford says they worked hard to “create a greater collaborative environment” and a consistent approach to research across the campus. “We were trying to move away from the lone ranger approach to research to more typical science-based research, which is built around teams and not so dependent upon individuals,” he says.

The mantra was quality over quantity and the university made changes to ensure that decisions affecting staff – such as promotions, awards and rewards – offered the right incentives to back the strategy. Although it was seeking quality, Bond did not try to pick winners. “We left it up to the disciplines themselves to try and mount a cogent case that they had sufficient critical mass and then we would look at supporting them,” says Brailsford. “We back winners.”

Bond is building on its traditional research strengths in public health, and expanding in medical research.

Other areas of strength include psychology, legal studies, business management and construction management.

The university has particular strength in data analytics, applied statistics and actuarial science.

Brailsford says the strategy has been a success, with research investment up by over 50 per cent and the university’s own research assessment exercise showing that quality has significantly improved.