Research Technology

The delivery of new and enhanced technologies to support, enable and enhance the complete research lifecycle

Point of View

We are in a time of unprecedented change.The groundswell for appropriate focus on environmental sustainability is combining with increased pressures for supplies of food and water. Societal shifts and changes to traditional industries have brought energy and resources needs back into focus, and geo-political instability is adding to the uncertainty. Competition for funding globally, nationally and at an institutional level is combining with increased demand for tangible outcomes delivering economic and social benefit. Evolutions and revolutions in science and technology are bringing challenges and opportunities to both society and industry.

These relentless changes affect the expectations placed on research outcomes, the needs of researchers, the nature of partnerships with industry, the availability and specificity of funding, and the appropriate role for and use of technology, as well as how research data is collaborated on, created, shared, published and used to deliver tangible outcomes.

In the face of this volume of change, modern research universities are leveraging technology to minimise risks, whilst not stifling innovation. Rigorous and proactive management of ethical risks and challenges maintains professional objectivity and safeguards research outcomes and the reputation of the university and researchers.

How well our research community respondsto the changing and emerging opportunities, expectations and challenges will be increasingly important in a world defined by accelerated knowledge creation and transition to an information-based economy

What does the future look like?

• Technology is seamlessly embedded in the fabric of our University. It supports and enables the recruitment and retention of top-talent researchers, as well as the full research lifecycle from business development and lead management, planning, identifying opportunities, the bid process and funding, through to conducting research and sharing research outcomes, and on to publishing and potential commercialisation.

• Access to cutting-edge research facilities,technologies and services, such as high performance computing, artificial intelligence, and working with big data, continue to allow us to tackle global challenges such as cancer, climate and health.

• Shared-use technology platforms aid creative and organic engagement and collaboration between researchers, their peers, other universities, industry and the public, both domestically and internationally.

• Research data management ensures thatwe control and leverage the data that weaccess, develop and publish.Technology supports proactive research management and administration so we continue to uphold the highest standards of professional conduct, integrity and regulatory compliance in research.

• Our borderless research technology environment, aligned with our Industry Engagement Priorities, provides appropriate physical and data security to meet the stringent confidentiality and sensitivity requirements demanded by industry partners, while also being open enough to enable our researchers to collaborate, share information and compete at the global level, where the ability to rapidly elicit insights and share knowledge is critical.

• Our colleges of expertise weave the nuances and unique needs of sustainability and society and the continually emerging opportunities from technology into our research and educational activities. They will enable new research areas, how we choose to undertake key activities, and the real-world applications of our research outcomes to improve our society and planet.

• Our reputation globally, nationally and within South Australia, as leaders in research and technology, continues to make us attractive as a research partner of choice, and a preferred destination for prospective researchers, students and staff.