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News & Views item - July 2007 |
A Strong Voice Remains Unheeded. (July 3, 2007)
In Canberra last month the Group of Eight Research Quality Assessment Forum took place. The Go8 describes the forum:
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Nobel Laureate, Professor Peter Doherty with
Go8 |
Background and purpose
The Group of Eight's research quality assessment forum brought together fifty leading researchers, research managers, policy-makers and business and industry representatives for a high-level discussion about research assessment.
Key speakers included:
* Professor Glyn Davis, Vice-Chancellor, The University of Melbourne, Chair the Group of Eight.
* Professor Michael Worton, Vice-Provost (Academic and International), University College London
* Professor Peter Doherty, Laureate Professor, The University of Melbourne
* Senator Kim Carr, Shadow Minister for Industry, Science, Research and Innovation
* Dr Robin Batterham, President, Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering
* Professor Warwick Anderson, CEO, National Health and Medical Research Council
Australia's Research Quality Framework (RQF) is scheduled to start in early 2008 and will change the face of research and research management in Australia's universities. The Go8 timed this forum to coincide with the pre-implementation trials of the RQF because, though a broad framework for the RQF has been selected, much of the detail remains to be worked through.
The forum provided an opportunity for stakeholders to raise and discuss issues in a constructive way. A number of conclusions were drawn at the end of the forum and these will be communicated to the Federal Government as recommendations to help ensure that the final RQF model delivers an assessment and funding framework that is as useful, workable and as credible as possible.
TFW has already reprinted the contribution of FASTS president, Tom Spurling and below we reprint Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty's summary of his contribution. As most readers will recall Professor Doherty has spent many years working in the United States. Much, but not all, of what seems to have taken place at the forum was an attempt to suggest mechanisms to transform a sow's ear into an artificial silk purse.
The Group of Eight has made available some of the presentations and "at the conclusion of the forum Professor Lawrence Cram, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The Australian National University, was given the challenging task of reflecting on the day’s discussion, and providing a summary of the key themes that had emerged."
But here, as Professor Doherty sees it:
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