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Intent

The University seeks to concentrate and consolidate its research strengths in order to showcase research performance, build capacity, drive research excellence, support the career growth of researchers, and realise impactful research.

This policy affirms the development of research and research performance through research units. It sets out the requirements for the establishment, governance, renewal and disestablishment of the University’s Institutes and Centres.

This policy addresses HESF Standards 4.1 Research, and 4.2 Research Training.

Scope

This policy applies to all Institutes and Centres that undertake research, scholarship or consultancy at all JCU campuses.

This policy also applies to Institutes or Centres established with significant external funding (for example, Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs), Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence), and to collaborative ventures with external partners, acknowledging that there may be specific governance requirements and/or other arrangements external to this policy that will take preference over this policy.

Definitions

Terms mentioned in this document and not defined here are defined in the Policy Glossary in the Learning and Teaching Domain of the University Policy Library.

Policy

Institutes and Centres visibly project the University’s strategic intent and promote the University’s research, scholarship or consultancy capabilities and strengths. They advance research excellence, impact and translation, attract external research or consultancy funding, and enhance researcher capability and research education. They provide a focus for external research and scholarship engagement regionally, nationally and internationally. Institutes and Centres are expected to promote collaboration within the University and make significant contributions to the research culture of the University and its Colleges.

The University recognises that research excellence and significant research or scholarship productivity and consultancy occurs both inside and outside Institutes and Centres, and that individual researchers and research groups outside Institutes and Centres will continue to make an important contribution to the University’s research and scholarship endeavours.

1. Categories of Institutes and Centres

The University recognises three categories of research or scholarship groupings:

• Institutes
• Centres
• Collaborative Ventures

2. Definition and Role of Institutes, Centres and Collaborative Ventures

2.1 Institutes

Institutes are formed in an area of international or national research excellence with a mission-driven focus to support the University’s strategic goals. An Institute is a prominent, large scale, multi-disciplinary research grouping that embodies research excellence, and undertakes world-leading research in support of its mission.

The role of an Institute is to:

• provide strategic leadership and facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration across the University to address the mission;
• show leadership in stakeholder engagement to build and enable large-scale research opportunities for the University;
• provide a research-intensive environment that supports the productivity of researchers and supports a high-quality research training environment;
• undertake large-scale programs of research, attract substantial external research funding, and produce high-quality research outputs; and
• collaborate extensively with external stakeholder and agencies.

2.2 Centres

A Centre comprises a significant group of leading researchers working collaboratively in a clearly defined field of inquiry that is aligned to the University’s strategic intent, and to the interests of governments, industry and/or communities. It enables the development of critical mass and promotes this focus and research strength externally.

The role of a Centre is to undertake impactful research, scholarship or consultancy, attract major external funding, drive research performance, and enhance the research culture of the University and its Colleges. It provides focused engagement with external stakeholders in its field of inquiry.

A Centre will comprise researchers with a national or international reputation for excellence in research or scholarship. It will achieve over and above what would be achieved by individual researchers, research groups or teams.

2.3 Collaborative Ventures

A collaborative venture is a Centre that is characterised by the significant involvement of external agencies and that has external governance or other requirements not covered by this policy. Some collaborative ventures involve partnerships with other research providers and/or a funding body; e.g., ARC Centres of Excellence and CRCs, and some collaborative ventures will have bespoke contracted partnerships. The role of collaborative ventures will align with that of Centres unless otherwise described by the contracted partnership.

3. Establishment, Governance and Management of Institutes and Centres

3.1 All Institutes and Centres will be established in accordance with the roles specified in this policy.

3.2 Each Institute must establish an external advisory board to provide guidance on the future directions of the Institute.

3.3 Each Institute and Centre must establish a management committee to provide expert advice and oversee the functions and operations of the Institute, including the quality of research, external engagement, and research culture.

3.4 The governance and management of a Collaborative Venture will occur in line with those requirements of a Centre unless otherwise specified under the grant funding requirements or the partnership agreement.

3.5 Accountability and compliance with this Policy will be monitored for Institutes by the DVC Research, for Centres by a College Dean or Institute Director nominated by the DVC Research, and for Collaborative Ventures by the DVC Research who may delegate to a College Dean or Institute Director dependent on the size, complexity and location of the Collaborative Venture.

4. Legal Status, branding and reserved use of terms

Institutes and Centres are not independent legal entities. Any research agreements with external bodies must be processed through Research and Innovation Services and executed in accordance with Council delegations.

The terms Institute and Centre are reserved for use by entities approved under this policy. Groups not approved in accordance with this policy are not permitted to use these terms, including in all documents produced by University staff and web pages.

The JCU corporate identity must be used by Institutes, Centres and their staff on the web, in presentations, brochures, business cards, research outputs and other identifying documents. An Institute and a Centre must clearly promote its relationship to the University in all activities, materials and logos, for example, ‘the XX Institute of ÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û’, or ‘the ÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û Institute of XXX’.

All Institutes and Centres are required to establish and maintain a web page on the University’s website. The responsibility for web pages rests with the Institute or Centre.

Researchers who are employed in a College and are members of an Institute or Centre are required to acknowledge both entities on any research outputs, in accordance with the Publication and Dissemination of Research Procedure.

Researchers are only permitted to use and/or affiliate themselves to recognised JCU identities and corporate identifiers as outlined in the Statement on the Use of Corporate Identifiers.

The branding of Collaborative Ventures will occur in line with these requirements unless otherwise specified under the venture funding requirements, or by agreement of the venture partners.

5. Research Training and Development of Early Career Researchers

Institutes and Centres are expected to assist in attracting high calibre research students and in providing a supportive, high quality research training environment for HDR candidates.

All HDR candidates will be enrolled through a College.

6. Reporting and Review

6.1 Annual Reports

Institutes and Centres, including collaborative ventures must provide an annual report that details analysis and assessment of performance relative to the agreed goals at establishment or renewal. It will also include a narrative of impact or progress towards delivering impact of the mission and goals of the Institute or Centre.

6.2 Review

Institutes and Centres are to be reviewed prior to the end of their approved term. When performance or changes in strategic focus warrant it, a review will occur earlier

6.3 Outcomes of the Review

On receipt of the completed review report, the Vice Chancellor (for Institutes) or DVC Research (for Centres) will approve renewal or disestablishment.

7. University support

On establishment of an Institute or Centre, the University will determine the level of base funding, if any, to be provided for its agreed term, in accordance with an approved business plan. If an Institute or Centre is renewed at the end of its initial agreed term, the level of base funding, if any, will be determined in accordance with an approved business plan.

8. Transitional Arrangements

All Institutes, Centres and Collaborative Ventures extant at the time of this policy approval will continue to exist and operate under their current model for up to three years or until they have undergone review, or had disestablishment triggered, whichever is sooner.

Related policy instruments

Institutes and Centres Procedure

Schedules/Appendices

Nil

Related documents and legislation

Nil

Administration

Note: Printed copies of this policy are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Modification History