• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Nomenclature
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Characteristics of a University Research Centre
• Part B - Characteristics of a University Research Group
• Part C - Membership of University Research Centres and Groups
• Part D - Principles for Financial Support
• Part E - Operation of URC and URG
• Director - URC
• Leader - URG
• Management Committee - URC
• Advisory Board - URC
• Cost Centre
• Annual Reporting
• Relationships with Schools
• Research Training
• Legal Status
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Establishment, Review and Discontinuation of Research Centres and Groups
• Branding
• Websites
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) Over the last decade, the University has sought to develop and consolidate its distinctive research strengths. Since 2001, the University has been pursuing a strategy of research concentration and selectivity building its capacity and the sustainability of its research. The model of selectivity and concentration structures research growth through themes, programs, and groupings of researchers.

(2) The University has established a system of research concentration with a small number of University Research Institutes (URI), University Research Centres (URC) and University Research Groups (URG). These forms of institutional recognition and definition allow the University to focus support for research endeavours on proven or promising programs to realise the aims it has set out in the University Research Plan 2009-2013 and the University Integrated Strategy: Making the Difference 2007-2008.

(3) The overriding intention in establishing Research Centres is to provide a research intensive environment to improve the productivity of researchers by increasing success in receiving competitive grant income, improving the international quality and quantity of research outputs, and contributing to HDR completions.

(4) University Research Centres and University Research Groups will undertake significant research activities including attracting external research funding, and producing quality research outputs. They will also promote interdisciplinary collaboration. University Research Centres and University Research Groups will support the development of a quality research training environment.

(5) Not all research and not all nationally and internationally significant researchers will be located within Research Centres. While the University is committed to collaborative and interdisciplinary research, individual researchers will continue to make an important contribution to the University's research effort.

(6) This policy does not apply to any group that has as its prime focus the teaching of undergraduate courses, or the provision of research support services such as mathematics and statistics consulting services.

(7) This policy does not apply to the establishment of centres externally funded through a competitive process, e.g. ARC Centres of Excellence. Proposals for an ARC Centre of Excellence or DEST Co-operative Research Centre must be submitted to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development, through the Office of Research Services.

Section 2 - Definitions

Nomenclature

(8) The terms Research Centre and Research Group are reserved for use by University Research Centres (URC) and University Research Groups (URG) in all documents produced by University staff, including web pages. Groups not approved in accordance with this policy are not permitted to use the phrase Research Centre or Research Group in their title. Research groupings established by Schools will be identified as a research node.

1. University Research Centre - as designated by the Vice-Chancellor and President - is located within a School and led by a Director.
2. University Research Group - as designated by the Vice-Chancellor and President - is led by a Group Leader and is located within a School.
3. School research node - as designated by a Dean.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(9) This policy affirms the role of research groupings in the strategic plan and development of research at the University and provides guidance on the implementation of this strategy. It delineates the different nature of each type of research grouping. It sets out the principles for financial support and the responsibilities to the University of a research grouping. It sets out the processes for the establishment, review, and dissolution of University Research Centres and University Research Groups.

Part A - Characteristics of a University Research Centre

(10) A University Research Centre (URC) will be a collegial grouping of researchers with a common goal, clear leadership, well integrated research plans, research training, collaboration with other University and non-University of Western Sydney researchers, government, industry, and the professions. Centres will have clear objectives and a high level of achievement against performance indicators given in the University Research Plan (see Strategic Plan and University Research Centres: measures of performance). URC will:

1. Demonstrate intellectual cohesion around well articulated research problems and research programs addressing those problems.
2. Have a critical mass of researchers including: a leading, visionary, and productive researcher as the Director, University Research Centre, a group of strongly performing researchers, a group of developing researchers, including postdoctoral fellows, and a solid cohort of research candidates.
3. Articulate succession plans, demonstrating the development of future generations of researchers via support of postdoctoral fellows and research candidate training.
4. Have a substantial and clearly articulated relationship to the University's academic programs, including undergraduate, honours, postgraduate course work and research degrees; they would not take up roles more appropriate to a School. URC will provide a supportive research culture for research higher degree candidates and will have a major role in providing support and supervision of research candidates at masters and doctoral levels.
5. Demonstrate organisational cohesion and leadership, together with strong governance processes and external oversight through an advisory board.
6. Demonstrate collaborative research partnerships within and outside the University.
7. Demonstrate that its program has impact, as measured by its influence on other research and teaching programs.
8. Demonstrate a return on investment, i.e. external income generation, benchmarked by discipline. Such external income should have an upward trajectory and should exceed any internal funding by a very significant factor.
9. Demonstrate quality in research publications, including but not limited to citation quantity.
10. Have broad types of dissemination of results, appropriate to its community, industry, and scholarly linkages.
11. Have achievements exceeding the achievement level of the University overall in each performance measure. Performance will be benchmarked against relevant national and international concentrations of research.

Part B - Characteristics of a University Research Group

(11) Designated University Research Groups (URG) are an expression of the University's developing research strength and competitiveness. The designation of a small number of URG seeks to support the development and consolidation of groupings of researchers who share a research focus and can demonstrate their research competitiveness in the Australian innovation system.

(12) A University Research Group will be a cohesive grouping in a distinctive niche and area of focus where the University can build a viable research program of high academic standard, adding to existing strengths and complementing current and/or future teaching programs in a coherent and strategic way with strong demonstrated prospects for the generation of:

1. Significant national and international collaborations and linkages with the prospect of national competitive grants and other major external research funding, together with
2. High quality publication outputs, and
3. Improved research training outcomes.

Part C - Membership of University Research Centres and Groups

(13) Criteria for membership of centres and groups should reflect the same performance-based approach as is taken in the review and designation of centres and groups themselves.

(14) The standard of research performance will be well above the basic level measured by research active status as recorded on the University Register of Research Activity. This standard should be defined in terms that reflect University research development goals and national quality frameworks. To facilitate the development of early career researchers, lower requirements should be set for researchers in the first five years after the completion of their PhD degrees. HDR candidates may be members of URC or URG.

(15) The members of a research centre or group should share a commitment to the subject area and research focus of the centre. A potential member should be able to show, to the satisfaction of the centre director, that the member plans to pursue a research program that offers an appropriate fit with the centre's research program or themes, enabling the member to contribute to the centre's community of scholars.

(16) Research groupings need to develop coherence and continuity of internal scholarly discourse.

(17) Membership criteria have been determined by the Vice-Chancellor and President. The following criteria apply for membership of University Research Centres and University Research Groups:

1. Minimum levels of achievement in external research income and research publication will be detailed by the Vice-Chancellor and President on advice from the University Research Committee. Should a full member fall below this minimum level of achievement for two years running - their membership would lapse;
2. Research to be conducted offers an appropriate fit with the research program of the URC, to the satisfaction of the centre director;
3. A lower level of achievement should be set for early career researchers.

(18) Membership of University Research Centres and University Research Groups will be determined only on the basis of research activity meeting or exceeding the eligibility thresholds and registered annually, not later than 30 June, with the Office of Research Services.

(19) University Research Centres may also offer associate membership. Such associate members should be able to demonstrate a capacity to contribute to the research program of the centre to the satisfaction of the centre director.

(20) The research performance of University Research Centres and University Research Groups will be measured on the basis of members only.

Part D - Principles for Financial Support

(21) It is expected that Schools will provide funding to support the URC and URG that they host. The financial management of a University Research Centre is vested in the Director. Institutional support is not guaranteed beyond the first five years of funding of a University Research Centre nor during any period of agreed extension.

(22) Funding and ongoing institutional support will be subject to research performance as reported in the required Annual Reports and will be allocated through competitive application.

Part E - Operation of URC and URG

Director - URC

(23) A University Research Centre is led by a Director who will be a highly productive and distinguished researcher of international standing. The Director, University Research Centre (DURC) will develop and enhance the URC's research profile, performance and reputation through competitive grant applications, publications and attraction of research candidates to the URC. The Director, University Research Centre leads all aspects of the research direction and administrative functions of the URC.

(24) The DURC reports to the Dean, and will be responsible for steering the development of the URC and for providing intellectual leadership and overall management at the level of the established performance benchmarks.

(25) The DURC will have line management responsibility for staff within the URC. The DURC will normally hold office for an initial period of three to five years. The DURC will have 100% time commitment to the URC, including his or her own research.

Leader - URG

(26) University Research Groups are led by a highly productive and distinguished researcher of international standing. The role of the Leader of University Research Group (URG) is to focus on the development of the URG's research profile, performance and reputation through competitive grant applications, publications and attraction of research candidates to the URG.

(27) The LURG is responsible for all aspects of the research direction and administrative functions of the URG. The LURG will have at least 70% time commitment to the URG, including his or her own research and service.

(28) The LURG reports to a Dean.

Management Committee - URC

(29) Each University Research Centre will convene a Management Committee to provide strong governance processes and expert advice to the DURC.

(30) The management committee will normally consist of: a higher degree research coordinator, a small number of researchers, the research program coordinator, and other senior centre administrative staff, and a representative of the host School as agreed to by the Dean and the Director, University Research Centre. The management committee will meet at least four times a year.

(31) The URC may also constitute administrative sub-committees, which will all report to the management committee.

Advisory Board - URC

(32) Each University Research Centre will ensure external oversight through the constitution of an External Advisory Board. The advisory board provides input to the future directions of the URC and its place in the Australian research community.

(33) The External Advisory Board will normally meet face to face at least once per calendar year and will be required to consider the Annual Report before its submission to the University Research Committee.

(34) Terms of Reference for the Advisory Board will be approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development.

Cost Centre

(35) University Research Centres and University Groups will be allocated a discrete cost centre. All research projects associated with URC and URG members will operate through that cost centre.

(36) In the event of a Review of URC and URG, financial performance data will be collected and measured only through the allocated cost centre.

Annual Reporting

(37) All centres and groups will provide an annual report to the University Executive via the Office of Research Services and the University Research Committee. The report will be due by 31st March each year.

(38) Only the performance of full members will be included when calculating the past research performance of the centre or group. Ongoing institutional support will be subject to the completion of satisfactory annual reports and strategic plans.

Relationships with Schools

(39) The relevant Dean will ensure that University Research Centres and Groups establish appropriate relationships with Schools in relation to their key activities.

(40) University Research Centres and Groups members are required to contribute to the University's teaching programs.

Research Training

(41) Research higher degree load will continue to be assigned as appropriate at URC or School level. For enrolment in a URC, the candidate's project must be aligned with the URC's research program as well as being supervised by a member of the URC.

(42) Research higher degree infrastructure and resources will be provided by the School to Centres and Groups.

(43) All University Research Centres and Groups will involve research higher degree candidates and Honours students in research seminars, conferences and workshops as appropriate.

Legal Status

(44) University Research Centres and University Research Groups are not independent legal entities. Any research agreements with external bodies must be approved and executed on behalf of the University by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development or those persons with delegated authority.

Section 4 - Procedures

Establishment, Review and Discontinuation of Research Centres and Groups

(45) The University has established a methodology for the designation and discontinuation of URC and URG, using performance data which would normally include assessment offered by external review.

(46) Designation and dissolution of URC and URG will be by the Vice-Chancellor and President, following recommendation from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development.

(47) The normal process for dissolution follows a request from a Dean to review the performance of an existing centre or group. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President, Research and Development will lead an evidence-based review and provide a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor and President. The annual report process may also trigger the conduct of such an evidence-based review - which may result in the discontinuation of underperforming Centres or Groups.

(48) It is anticipated that at least once in every five years extant URC will undergo an evidence based external review as outlined in (46).

(49) A Dean may propose the establishment of a University Research Centre or Group at any time. The Office of Research Services will coordinate the review processes connected with the review of such proposals.

(50) A group of research active staff may seek formal designation as a research node in a discipline or area of focus. Approval for the establishment of a research node may be granted by a Dean. School processes for that designation and research performance requirements will apply in order to be identified as a research node. A research node will be led by a nominated leader who will report on the node's activities to the Dean.

Branding

(51) In describing URC and staff of a URC or URG or research node on the web, business cards, brochures or in presentation material (e.g. Microsoft PowerPoint), the University policies on visual representation and corporate identity must be observed - see Web Publishing Policy - and Research Guidelines must be followed for all printed materials.

(52) A URC, URG or research node must clearly promote its relationship to the University of Western Sydney in its title, web sub-site or any other form, e.g. X is a research node in the discipline of Y, University of Western Sydney.

(53) URC and URG will not develop or use logos or visual identities different or separate from the University's branding without the formal approval of the Vice Chancellor. The design of all visual material for URC and URG will be approved by the Vice-Chancellor and President on the recommendation of the Director, Marketing and Communication.

Websites

(54) A URC, URG, or Node will maintain a web presence on the University's website.

(55) A University Research Centre must develop a web sub-site of the University's web site in accordance with University web publishing policies.

(56) Appropriate content for web site is indicated in the Web Policy.

(57) Web material must have the approval of the Dean in consultation with the Director, Marketing and Communication. All web pages must be consistent with the University's branding and marketing strategy.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(58) Refer to the Performance Benchmarks for University Research Centres.