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This is part 1 in a series of posts about the unique strategic challenges facing research organisations. The role of publicly-funded and non-profit research organisations is shifting. Traditionally, we have thought of them as repositories of knowledge and bastions of discovery. But, as technology advances and the challenges facing society

Strategy formulation is complex, requiring the integration of multiple perspectives and approaches. Over the past two articles, we have been sharing the Grounded EthnoDesign (GED) method, a unique approach that we have developed for research organisations that aligns institutional ambitions with tangible, strategic solutions. We have explored the initial stages

In the first installment of this three-part series on Grounded EthnoDesign (GED), we discussed the critical role of problem identification and framing within our integrated strategy formulation approach. We explored how GED begins by understanding an organisation's institutional ambition and how it leverages insights from internal and external stakeholders to

I'm coming up to 10 years as a consultant to publicly funded research organisations. Reflecting across that time, I have distilled the best of what I have learned and made it the core of how Research Strategies Australia works with clients. In the coming weeks I will provide an overview

Universities are inherently decentralised entities. Each researcher, driven by their intellectual curiosity, chooses their research trajectory. While this promotes individual creativity, it presents a considerable challenge for institutional strategy. At the core of this challenge is the balance between nurturing scientific inquiry and aligning it with the strategic objectives of

As it weaves its way through our lives, AI has become the subject of intense debate in university circles in Australia. However, the focus of this debate is yet to fully align with the new reality we're stepping into. A paradigm shift is happening beneath our feet, but the conversation

It is not uncommon for us here at Research Strategies Australia to encounter clients who, having previously engaged with large consulting firms, express dissatisfaction with the outcomes of their engagements. Often times we are coming in after the fact to deliver what clients describe as 'related' work, which is code

(Written with Andreea Papuc Krischer, Engagement Manager at RSA). In 2015, the Australian Government established a set of Science and Research Priorities, and corresponding Practical Research Challenges, designed to increase investment in areas of immediate and critical importance to Australia. Amongst them was the priority of Advanced Manufacturing. The priorities

In spite of more than a decade of policy and discussion around research impact and industry engagement, the prevailing paradigm for career progresion and researcher KPIs in Australian universities is still focused on retrospective - ex-post - counting of outputs, such as the number of publications, grants received, and scholarly

This is a revised version of the article that appeared in Campus Morning Mail on April 3rd, 2023. “Why do all Australian university research strategies look the same?” This question from a university research centre director was recently put to us in a research strategy masterclass we were running. We

The concept of the knowledge-based economy emerged as a critical driving force behind economic growth since at least the 1990s. Economies like Australia have invested heavily (at least rhetorically) in the idea an economic system where knowledge creation, dissemination, and application are the primary contributors to wealth generation and societal

In the Australian university research landscape, the pursuit of funding often takes precedence over the objectives of research: generating new knowledge, driving innovation, and creating real-world impact. Researchers often find themselves devoting significant time and effort to securing the necessary funding to sustain their research endeavours. Consequently, the focus on

Navigating university-industry partnerships can be tricky, especially when it comes to getting industry partners on board with funding discovery-based research. While this research has the potential to create game-changing breakthroughs that put a company way ahead of the competition, the risks involved can make industry partners hesitant to invest. The