EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION AUSTRALIA (EIA) TRIAL
The University of Newcastle, Charles Darwin University and the University of Tasmania have joined with Australian Technology Network of universities (ATN) and Group of Eight (Go8) universities to participate in an impact assessment exercise, the Excellence in Innovation for Australia (EIA) Trial. The EIA assessment exercise has been developed to be complementary to but separate from ERA (http://www.arc.gov.au/era/default.htm) to provide a complete picture of the research performance of Australian universities.
The Trial aims to identify and demonstrate the contribution that high quality research has made to the economic, social, cultural and environmental benefit of society. Implicit in this goal is the aim to develop a robust methodology by which these benefits may best be recognised, portrayed and assessed by institutions and government.
The initiative of undertaking this trial is based partly on a growing international realisation of the need for universities to demonstrate the benefit, or impact, of their research – to government, to funders and to the broader society. This is particularly true in the UK where their research assessment mechanism, the Research Excellence Framework (REF) has explicitly included assessment of research impact for their next assessment exercise in 2014. The Australian Government also has an interest in the assessment of impact of Australia’s publically funded research and has announced a feasibility study to report in early 2013.
The EIA Trial website is at: http://www.atn.edu.au/eia/index.htm