Nation's top two universities boost ties

WEDNESDAY 26 MARCH 2008

Australia’s two top-ranked research-intensive universities, The Australian National University and the University of Melbourne, will form a formidable alliance under a Memorandum of Understanding announced today.

The MOU will encourage closer ties through programs of collaboration and exchange in areas of mutual interest and benefit to both institutions.

Announcing the MOU today, ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb and University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis said it will enable the universities to develop joint endeavours in research, research training, teaching, scholarship, external funding bids, consulting, and international outreach.

Professor Chubb said the two universities, despite their different histories, had a great deal in common and together would form a formidable alliance in advancing the cause of research and learning in Australia.

“This agreement not only will benefit our students, whose educational opportunities will be enhanced, our staff, who can look forward to further research collaborations with Melbourne, but the nation will benefit through the appropriate development of research links between our two universities,” Professor Chubb said.

Professor Davis said the signing of the MOU highlights the importance of Australian research ‘powerhouses’ working collaboratively together, making the very best use of their personnel and infrastructure to maximise research capacity.

“This has significant institutional benefits for students and staff at each university but in strengthening the capacity of these two research leaders to carry out world-class research at the very highest level, it also brings important national benefits,” he said.

The MOU will also allow the universities to explore opportunities for exchange of staff and the sharing of major research infrastructure and equipment. It will also open up further opportunities for interested and qualified students to pursue programs of study in each other's institutions and obtain credit transfer enabling students to carry credit from one institution to the other.

Institutional quality assurance and benchmarking will be among other areas of possible collaboration.

ANU and the University of Melbourne are the only two Australian universities ranked in the top 100 universities by the highly regarded Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s annual rankings of best performing universities in the world.

For further information or to arrange interview:
ANU - Jane O’Dwyer 0416 249 231 / Melbourne – Christina Buckridge 0412 101 316