The University of Sydney has been commended by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) for its strong research performance and its successful efforts to build multidisciplinary and international research collaborations.

 

TEQSA’s recently released audit of the University found that the restructuring of the research and research training portfolios since the 2004 AUQA audit “appears to be working well and there are clear signs of improvement to services that the Research Portfolio provides to its clients.”

 

The report noted that there are opportunities for further improvement, such as better ensuring the efficacy of associate supervision arrangements.

 

It found that the University of Sydney is “performing strongly in the Australian research context and has developed an effective approach to building research capacity in non-traditional research areas such as the creative arts”.

 

“The University is commended for giving due recognition to the scholarship of teaching. The University is also commended for establishing evidence-led processes for continuous improvement in research performance, including adopting mutual

accountability and transparency as key principles in measuring and monitoring research performance.

 

“The University has succeeded in establishing mechanisms that promote interdisciplinary research, such as the Sydney Research Networks Scheme (SyReNS) and the strategic establishment of research centres. The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology is commended for the wide-ranging support that it provides to higher degree by research (HDR) students.

 

“The University of Sydney is performing well in terms of HDR completions, with the largest number of HDR enrolments and the second highest completion rates in Australia.”

 

The report also found that the restructuring of Sydney University’s research portfolio was providing the opportunity to improve services in areas including commercialisation and the ethical management of animals used in research.

 

However, it commented that “It is unclear whether the laudable intentions behind the University’s policy on associate supervision are being consistently fulfilled. The processes in place for HDR student travel and infrastructure support are not, at present, sufficiently responsive to student needs.”

 

In relation to the research portfolio, the report recommended that:

  • the University of Sydney review faculty practices with regard to associate supervision with a view to ensuring these practices are consistent with University policy, that they provide genuine benefits to students, and that they contribute effectively to the training of less experienced supervisors;
  • the University of Sydney develop more timely and effective processes for meeting the individual funding and other support needs of higher degree by research students, such as travel support, and ensure that students are sufficiently well informed about the support available and the basis upon which funding decisions are made to enable them to plan the most effective use of this support.

 

The TEQSA report is available here.