Despite the reputation academics have for stubbornly resisting change, universities have changed continually over the centuries and as a consequence our oldest universities are among the longest-lived institutions in the world. So where do we find ourselves today? Are our universities in step with their societies at the beginning of the 21st century or is change necessary to better enable us to meet future needs? Monash University is only 50 years old, but in these 50 years there have been major changes in higher education and especially in the way applied science, medicine and engineering research is conducted. It is the latter that I wish to discuss here.
Progress in applying science over the past century has far exceeded anything that went before. In the developed world, human lifespan has more than doubled, and no matter where we are in the world the most distant place on our planet is no more than a day’s journey away. We can talk with anyone anywhere in the world and see what they are doing. Little of this was possible 50 years ago and it would all have been unimaginable a hundred years ago. To continue the pace of advancement and spread these benefits to the Third World, however, universities will have to do more to find practical applications of new science and do this in collaboration with industry.
This is because globalisation has increased competitiveness, reduced companies’ profit margins and thereby reduced the funding for research. Many companies now only pursue research in support of products. Basic research on the science underlying the technologies used in their products has all but disappeared. Most successful companies have turned to universities to fill the gap.
There are also plenty of incentives for universities to work with industry. Over the past 50 years research in many subjects has increased in complexity and cost, placing it beyond the resources of universities. Examples are all around us. Leading universities used to make their own computers, but this had to be abandoned in the 1960s when they no longer had the resources to keep up with advances in semiconductor integrated circuits and magnetic storage. Users also wanted to exchange data and programs and demanded standardisation. Industry recognised the need, established the standards and supplied the computers.
And long gone are the days when university researchers made their own scientific instruments such as electron microscopes and high-speed electronic measuring systems. To remain competitive, decades ago, they had to start buying them from industry and working closely with industry to obtain what they needed.
There are incentives on both sides for universities and industry to work together. In the UK seven new technology innovation centres, called Catapults, are being established to promote such collaboration, and in Australia the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, is already doing this. It is frequently necessary to bring together researchers from several disciplines. The model of universities as communities of scholars, all of whom act independently, while appropriate for many of the activities of universities, is not effective in this case. Instead one needs management structures that include senior academics who carry the responsibility for making sure that the university acts in a coherent manner, keeping in mind the interests of the institution and of all its members. There has been some protest against what is seen as growing managerialism in universities, but when it comes to working with industry to ensure competitive applied science research, a professional, coordinated approach is essential.
For the past two years I have had the privilege of spending time at Monash as a Sir Louis Matheson Professor and have learnt about several of Monash University’s successful collaborations with industry. I have also seen that such collaborations are growing apace. Both of these observations would seem to indicate that Monash University’s governance structures are appropriate for the 21st century, as is winning a place in the top 100 universities in the world.
