Mr Toss Gascoigne
Executive Director
Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

11 May 2005

Ms Anna Dacre
Secretary
Standing Committee on Science and Innovation
House of Representatives

Dear Ms Dacre

My attention has just been drawn to the inquiry your committee is conducting into pathways to technological innovation.

I hope you will consider this late submission, consisting of two documents:

1. A report called the Commercialisation of Research in the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; and
2. From Science to Growth [PDF File 225 kB], an article by Stephen Allott. He is chairman and co-founder of Trinamo Ltd., a technology sales consultancy. He is founder of the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory Graduate Association and was a Visitor at the Computer Laboratory from 2001 to 2004. From 1995 to 2001 he worked at Micromuse, a London-based software company where he was President, CFO and a main board director. Stephen took the company from £1m to £140m in turnover, 50 to 800 people and led the NASDAQ flotation. Stephen has also worked for McKinsey, Sun Microsystems and Xerox and is graduate of Trinity College, Cambridge.

The first item, the report on commercial activities of researchers working in the HASS sector, was funded by DEST. It is to be launched at Parliament House on May 30, and what I am providing is a pre-publication copy which may be lacking some formatting. Minister Brendan Nelson will speak at the launch.

One of the underlying themes of the Report is that innovation is not simply the prerogative of science, engineering and technology. The humanities, arts and social sciences have the capacity to make great contributions in this area, and the report goes some way to setting out what this contribution is, and ways in which it may be enhanced. We were, in this context, delighted to see the recent appointment to PMSEIC of Professor Iain McCalman, former President of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

As well as contributing in its own right, HASS can play a powerful collaborative role in working with the SET sector on a wide range of issues. One example is the water problems besetting Australia in the Murray-Darling Basin. Scientists have known for decades how to solve these problems in a physical sense, but a complete solution involves behaviour change and social issues requiring the involvement of people skilled in the humanities, arts and social sciences.

By way of background: CHASS is a newly-formed organisation, established to act as an advocacy group for people working in research and education in the tertiary sector in the humanities, arts and social sciences. More information about CHASS is available at our web site: www.chass.org.au

We would be happy to elaborate on these matters.

Regards

 

Toss Gascoigne
11 May 2005

Download this letter   [PDF file size: 19.65 kB]   REF: LET20050511TG

 

For more information, please contact:

Toss Gascoigne

Executive Director

Council of the Humanties, Arts and Social Sciences

Phone: +61 2 6249 1995

director@chass.org.au