Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

In this issue:

1. Make a submission on RQF
2. Measures of quality and impact
3. Commercialisation in HASS
4. Directors of university research and education centres
5. Membership of CHASS
6. Dinner with members of parliament
7. Planning meeting for arts and humanities organisations
8. Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences on the Hill
9. Meeting Peter Hoj of the ARC
10. CHASS policy
11. R&D tax concession
12. Iain McCalman appointed to PM's council
13. Project to examine collaboration with science

1. Make a submission on RQF

The Research Quality Framework paper came out last week. It is most important that people from the HASS sector respond with comments.

A strong flow of submissions will be read as a strong interest from the sector. If there's only a sluggish representation, then the RQF committee is likely to conclude that the HASS sector isn't really interested in the issues.

The paper is at - http://www.dest.gov.au/resqual/issues_paper.htm

To make a submission - http://www.dest.gov.au/resqual/Submission/Pages/Home.aspx

Read Malcolm Gillies' article on Impact from the Australian - http://www.chass.org.au/

2. Measures of quality and impact

We have received a huge input of ideas on this major project, and clearly the sector is beginning to realise there is a chance to change the way HASS research is measured and weighed.

The next stage is to run 6 case studies to test the new measures. That process has begun.

Results from this project will feed straight into the RQF discussions, and the CHASS report is on a tight schedule to complete by mid-June.

3. Commercialisation in HASS

CHASS has completed a project investigating the commercialisation of research in the HASS sector. The 40-page report will be launched in about a month, and all Members of CHASS will be invited to attend.

4. Directors of university research and education centres

CHASS invited all DVC(R) and DASSH Deans to nominate their most innovative Centre Directors, to attend a meeting in Brisbane in March.

Eighty Directors attended, from 39 universities in Australia and New Zealand. Discussions ranged from the nuts-and-bolts issues of running a centre, to national discussions on identifying new measures of quality and impact in HASS research.

Following a positive response from the Directors, CHASSS plans to continue these discussions at another meeting.

5. Membership of CHASS

Our Membership has now reached 123 different groups and organisations, and these are listed on our web site: www.chass.org.au

Membership is still open and membership application forms are also on the web site.

6. Dinner with members of parliament

CHASS organised a very lively dinner for a selected group of Parliamentarians, to discuss the issue "Ageing Well" - what are the implications for Australia of an ageing population?

Seven Federal MPs attended (from the Liberals, Nationals and ALP), with three of their staff members and 12 other guests. The discussion took the form of a conversation between two Ageing experts, Professor Sue Richardson of Flinders University and Professor Hal Kendig from Sydney, with questions and contributions from the floor.

Our thanks to Ian Chubb of the ANU for hosting the first in a series of three dinners.

7. Planning meeting for arts and humanities organisations

CHASS will convene a meeting the executive officers of organisations in these areas. This will allow them to discuss matters of common interest, including policy influence and networking.

The meeting will be held later this year, in Sydney or Melbourne. More details soon.

8. Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences on the Hill

We will be announcing the date of this year's "HOTH" event in the next week or so.

The inaugural event was immensely popular, and we had to close off registrations early. It included individual meetings with Federal MPs, lunch at the National Press Club, and a Briefing Day at the National Library.

This year we aim to make the event better, rather than bigger; and the comments of last year's registrants are proving a useful guide.

Those affiliated with our Member Organisations will have first call on registration, as a benefit of membership.

9. Meeting Peter Hoj of the ARC

Malcolm Gillies and CHASS Secretary John Byron had an extended meeting with the (relatively) new Director of the Australian Research Council, Professor Peter Hoj.

Issues discussed included the role of HASS in the innovation agenda, the operation of the current policy context including the National Research Priorities and the Research Quality Framework, and the importance of the peer review process.

10. CHASS policy

The Board has posted a draft policy statement on the CHASS web site.

We are now open for comments and suggestions. These will feed into the final version, which in turn will be launched in time for the "HASS on the Hill event."

11. R&D tax concession

Minister for Revenue Mal Brough has responded to CHASS' request for a review of the R&D Tax concession. The current Act allows companies to gain tax concessions for R&D - but only if it is done within the area of science, engineering and technology.

Mr Brough's senior taxation advisor says in his letter

"The basic intent for the criteria of activities to be eligible for a research and development (R&D) tax concession is that the R&D must be systematic, investigative and experimental."

There seems no reason to us why HASS research might not fit these criteria. CHASS views the non-allowance of HASS work for the R&D Tax Concession as being hopelessly out of date, and reflecting a view which may have had currency 30 years ago. We will pursue this with the Government.

12. Iain McCalman appointed to PM's council

Iain's appointment adds a welcome voice for the HASS sector to the important Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC).

He will sit with the Prime Minister, 8 members of cabinet and representatives of science and business organisations on the Council.

The appointment marks a recognition that HASS CAN be innovative!

13. Project to examine collaboration with science

CHASS is currently negotiating the terms of a new project with DEST. This will examine the ways in which HASS works collaboratively with science, engineering and technology, the issues they jointly tackle, and how these collaborations might be enhanced in education, research, practice and innovation.

All Member Organisations will be invited to have input into the project, which will begin in the second half of this year.

It is the third of three projects announced by Minister Brendan Nelson, when he spoke at the breakfast launch of CHASS in June last year.

 

Regards

Malcolm Gillies
1 June 2005

 

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