Our Education Manager, Melanie Gentgall recently spent some time in Queensland networking and attending the ARMs and VELG conferences. Please find below Mel’s feedback from these events:
Education Initiative – National Networking Meetings, September 2014
Recently I had an opportunity to meet with HRECs and researchers in some of Queensland’s premier research institutes including QIMR and QBI as well as public and private health care settings. Queensland’s dedication and commitment in funding and infrastructure for research, along with their success in commercialisation ventures demonstrates their skill and advantage in areas of significant importance to the national strategic aims of improved competitiveness in R&D on the international stage.
Bellberry look forward to collaborating with new and existing partners in Queensland as we embark on our education initiatives, which aims to promote a skilled and competent research workforce nationally.
VELG Conference – Brisbane, September 2014
Bellberry’s Research Education Initiative will deliver accredited training through our partnership with the dual sector International University, RMIT. The national VET conference, the largest gathering of VET practitioners and policy leaders, was held recently in Brisbane and was an opportunity to get a firsthand understanding of current issues and debate that will inform our project.
There have been recent significant changes to the national VET framework, as released by the federal government. The conference key note address was delivered by the Minister for Industry, the Hon Ian McFarlane along with presentations from all the key Industry sector representatives who discussed how legislative changes will impact on industry more broadly. There was a very clear message supporting the need for Industry and the education sector to work together in areas of our national competitive advantage, to create economic opportunities locally and importantly, internationally.
The conference also offered a large variety of practical workshops that aim to hone the skills of educators and training providers, with a very strong emphasis on the requirement of high quality standards from all providers across the VET sector.
ARMS
The annual Australian Research Management Society national conference was held in Canberra this year with the theme of Think, Impact and Influence.
One of the opening plenaries, delivered by Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Ian Chubb AC, provided further evidence on how Australia must address change and focus on our true areas of competitive edge and critical need. The recently released STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) – Agenda for Change paper is compulsory reading for Australia’s research sector – or perhaps for Australian’s more generally.
Research Impact is a powerful concept demanding attention across research internationally. Research Impact is defined in brief as the outcomes or benefits of research to the economy, society, the environment, health and quality of life broadly.
The role of research management in facilitating an environment of collaboration is essential to promoting research that achieves impact and brings the differences that high quality meaningful and measurable research can achieve, in a timely and supportive manner.
Bellberry’s “best practice “ model of research administration (as a HREC service provider) is well established and they are acknowledged as an important collaborator, promoting research impact. We will continue to review and improve our systems and promote research and researchers through our core HREC services and our non-core services such as education, donation funding and national collaborations across health care sectors and with academic researchers and institutions.
Melanie Gentgall – Bellberry Education Manager