1. SEGRA 2012
Advancing Industry - Academic Research
Collaborations: getting your research funded
Dr Helen Thompson
University of Ballarat and National Broadband Champion

2. Being a Regional University
• Make major contributions to regional
economies and create regional jobs
• Key role in building regional growth
and development through producing,
retaining and attracting qualified
people
• Play a lead role in regional innovation
and business development

3. University of Ballarat Technology Park
Ballarat, has emerged as the most competitive location in
Australia for the delivery of IT services
NBN services being rolled out across region
State government investment of $2.9 million confirmed
paving the way for more investment and jobs in Ballarat
An additional 22 hectare site. Additional 11 buildings with
room for 1500 employees
CBD Technology Park activities will open in July 2013
Major IBM announcement pending

4. Being a Regional University
• Enrich the social, cultural and
environmental quality of life in
regional communities
• Significant contributors to ‘closing the
gap’
• Conduct research that matters
• Demonstrate excellence in learning,
teaching and the student experience

5. Collaborative Research Network
As part of the UB Blueprint research strategy was
re-aligned
CRN funding secured – a 3 year $16m project
with $6m from the Australian Government
CRN Self Sustaining Regions Research and
Innovation Initiative is focuses on the significant
challenges that face regional areas and explores
ways of strengthening regional well-being, health
and social connectedness, and driving regional
rejuvenation

7. RUN’s Objectives
1. To provide policy advice to
government particularly about
tertiary education and regional
development;
2. To strengthen and to promote the
contributions of regional universities
to regional and national
development; and,
3. To share best practice in educational
delivery, training, research and
organisational management.

8. RUN seeks development of a
comprehensive new strategy, the
Regional Development and
Innovation Initiative, that
recognises the role played by
regional universities in facilitating
and strengthening regional
economic development.

9. RUN Research Collaboration
Research collaborations are beginning to
emerge
• Sharing information and access to
research infrastructure
• Exploring the potential for a shared
response to research needs across
Medicare Local Network
• Initiating collaborative research and
engagement around Digital Rural
Futures - Smart Farm, Smart Region

10. NBN enabled telehealth and 3D medicine
UB Secured state government funding via
Broadband Enabled Innovation Program
Led by UB’s Associate Professor Andrew Stranieri -
multiple partners
12 Sites in Victoria
• Tele-dentistry
• Tele-psychiatry
• Tele-oncology
• Tele-wound
• Tele-geriatrics

11. Centre for eCommerce and Communications
Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor Research
University of Ballarat

12. Digital futures and eResearch
CeCC established in 1998 when dial up
internet was being rolled out in regions
Organisational responsibilities
expanded in 2012 to include digital
futures, knowledge management and
eResearch
Supporting UB and regional
organisations in developing and
implementing strategies to support
effective use information
communications technologies

13. Regional Strategic Planning
Not just building strategy but helping
regional organisations to progress
staged implementation
• Assist with securing funding,grant
identification, writing
• Represent region and lead
advocacy in many areas
• Early rollout region for the National
Broadband Network
• Ballarat Smart 21 Intelligent
Community of the Year

14. Visualising Victoria’s Groundwater
Smartly manage our environment
utilising high speed broadband
capabilities to capture, aggregate
and spatially depict Victoria's
groundwater systems for public
access and sustainable
development and management

15. Sport and Recreation Spatial
Bring data together around active
participation, facilities and club
data, population and health
outcomes together to inform
policy and practice

16. Dairy Innovation Australia
An online spatial application
to visualise dairy production
per region and dairy
industry location. The data
used in this prototype
consisted of milk, protein
and fat production levels for
dairy producing regions.

17. Integrated Fire Management Planning
A knowledge database and
data portal using web-based
mapping to support strategic
fire-risk planning using
community, regional, state and
commonwealth data

18. Central Highlands Digital Enterprise Program
Increase digital engagement via two year
public awareness and skills development
program
Deliver training and advice for SMEs.
NFPs and cultural organisations
Approximately $1m secured to support
150 group session and 660 individual
mentoring sessions
Strengthen established network capacity
and foster local champions

19. National Telework Week
• Telework promotes flexible
work practices and the use of
the latest technologies to stay
connected with colleagues,
clients and managers
• UB signed on as partner
• Established internal and
regional working groups
• Workshops and forums with Jon
Dee and Tim Fawcett
• Mapped location for over 1,000
UB staff to provide planning
insights for the future

20. Eureka I’ve found it!
NBN enabled skills and education –
funding being sought from other sources
Goal is to build regional capacity - digitise
regional newspapers, historical collections
and documents from Ballarat and beyond
Identify, describe and create digital
repositories of collections of historical
documents, maps, print resources,
artefacts, images
Interlink with TROVE and other national,
state and educational resources

21. Strongwill and serious games
Partnership with Hume Riverina
Community Legal Services
Online visitors are led through a
three stage game process to help
make decisions about the content of
their Will.
The game explores what would
happen if they were to die without a
Will, collects personal information
and gives a summary of decisions.

22. Further information
Contact
Helen Thompson
Director
Centre for eCommerce and Communications
Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research)
University of Ballarat
Email h.thompson@ballarat.edu.au
Web www.ballarat.edu.au and www.cecc.com.au