Carolyn Evans wants Melbourne University to master fewer, stronger research
Melbourne University's new vice-chancellor says the university must concentrate on its proven global strengths in health and innovation rather than pursue many different research directions.
Carolyn Evans, who took over as vice-chancellor this month, says Melbourne University should stop trying to be 'seventeen different things' and instead double down on areas where it already leads globally.
Limited resources, financial, time and energy, mean the university must be selective about where it invests. The Parkville biomedical precinct is recognised as among the world's best.
Evans points to the planned Australian Institute for Infectious Diseases as the kind of ambitious project the university should pursue, building on its proven track record of world-changing innovations.
The university aims to generate twenty start-ups per year by 2030 and thirty to forty by 2035. Evans wants Melbourne to become known globally for the innovations it creates, much like Cochlear implant put the city on the map.
However, proposed international student visa caps could undermine these plans, threatening thousands of university jobs.
- 2030, 2035
- Years as focus
- Twenty per year
- Start-ups target by 2030
- Thirty to forty per year
- Start-ups target by 2035
- Seventeen different things
- Research areas to stop pursuing
Why it mattersUniversity strategy shapes which research gets funded, what jobs exist, and how cities build innovation ecosystems and economic strength.
AustraliaMelbourne University is a major employer and innovation engine in Australia. Student visa caps proposed by government could cost thousands of jobs and weaken the university's global competitiveness.
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