MONASH Gippsland’s status as a research-intensive university helping to reduce the region’s key challenges has recently taken centre stage.
At a Research in Focus conference last month more than 60 emerging Monash University research-degree students were linked with the experts that led them, according to conference convenor and Monash University Gippsland director of research Professor Philip Taylor.
Professor Taylor said the inaugural conference provided a forum for “sharing expertise and experience” as well as “exploring ways in which researchers can collaborate to better address the challenges of the future”.
Professor Taylor said some of the research underway at the Churchill-based campus was “an essential part of ensuring the long-term prosperity of the region”.
“As regional communities in areas such as Gippsland begin to consider how they will respond to issues such as ageing populations, skill shortages and a low-carbon future, the role played by a research-intensive regional university campus is essential,” he said.
“This is critical in terms of building local research capabilities to understand local issues, and providing a means for business and industry to partner with researchers in their fields.”
During the two-day conference, research-degree students from Gippsland’s eight faculties presented overviews of their respective projects, including a number which Professor Taylor said tackled “some of the biggest challenges facing our region”.
