28 - 29 March 2006

Aims and purposes of "Expanding Horizons"

The event has three aims:

The first aim is to explore the idea of cross-disciplinary work, in research and practice. Work involving more than one discipline is increasingly seen as a productive way to solve problems and to create new industries.

CHASS is being funded by DEST to conduct a major project on multi-disciplinary collaborations between the humanities, arts and social sciences; and science, technology, engineering and medicine.

What issues are being tackled in a multi-disciplinary approach? What funding sources do these collaborations draw upon, and what difficulties does working across the disciplinary divide create? What issues would profit from a multi-disciplinary approach?

The event will workshop your experiences and ideas on cross-disciplinary work, and these discussions will feed into the project.

The second aim is to discuss issues and ideas with Members of Parliament. MPs are engaged in a constant search for ideas and solutions. They are particularly interested in questions of innovation and sustainability, in health and employment.

Your meeting with a Member or Senator is the opening of a dialogue. They will hear about your work and the potential you see for a collaborative approach; and you will get a better feel for their priorities and timelines.

This event is an opportunity to begin a relationship, because gaining access and influencing policy depends on contacts, accessibility and relationships.

The third aim is to meet with Australia's young entrepreneurs, people who have taken a clever idea and turned it into an industry developed a business from it.

There is a constant frustration in Government that the national investment in research and education does not generate more jobs and new industries. They feel that industry and research are too far apart, and would like to see closer contact and a greater interchange. This event will allow both sides to gain a better appreciation of each other's perspectives.

There is also a fourth aim. This event is a unique opportunity for people from different disciplines and different institutions to meet informally, to discuss matters of common interest. This includes possible collaborations and cross-disciplinary approaches.