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| NOVEMBER 2011 |
| International Horizons |
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| Welcome to our November Newsletter - and we look forward to seeing many of you at our Horizons Workshop at Bronte on Thursday 17 November. Full details including a program can be found in the right hand column below. |
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| NEWS |
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On the move
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The International Portfolio is moving to a new home in the Woolley Building on 30 November.The International Portfolio is moving to a new home in the Woolley Building on 30 November. Portfolio staff will be moving from the Old Teachers College into the offices formerly occupied by the United States Studies Centre.
Contact details for staff, including telephone numbers, will remain unchanged, and it is hoped the Portfolio will be fully operational again by 5 December.
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Research with Israel
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NSW Chief Scientist Professor Mary O’Kane stressed the value of international academic collaboration in the development of research excellence at the opening of the Shared Challenges, Future Directions forum at the University. NSW Chief Scientist Professor Mary O’Kane stressed the value of international academic collaboration in the development of research excellence at the opening of the Shared Challenges, Future Directions forum at the University on 31 October.
Eight eminent Israeli researchers took part in the forum, which covered a broad range of topics: neuroscience, tissue regeneration, obesity and diabetes, information technology, food and water security, energy, the pedagogy of second language teaching and the study of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Forum coordinator, Professor Rebecca Mason from Sydney Medical School, chaired the first session which covered the shift in understanding of immune-brain relationships in ageing and neurodegenerative and mental diseases, the design and development of bio-synthetic hybrid hydrogels for tissue engineering and regeneration, childhood obesity and diabetes, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Co-convenor Professor Suzanne Rutland chaired the second session with overviews on sustainable agriculture under water shortages, energy, the pedagogy of teaching a second language and the technological tools facilitating augmentation in schools and universities. Workshop sessions were organised in theme-specific areas in the afternoon.
The visiting academics participated in talks and workshops over several days, and had discussions with Sydney academics about collaborative research projects. Professor Jonathan Stone, Managing Trustee of the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund, speaking at the closing reception, highlighted the value of opportunities for academics to come together to hear colleagues talk about latest developments in their fields.
The Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce also hosted a dinner for the visitors and Sydney academics at the Hilton Hotel.
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Global networking
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The Portfolio is hosting an International Networks Forum on 24 November to give staff an opportunity to learn about the benefits of international collaboration and cooperation.The Portfolio is hosting an International Networks Forum on 24 November to give staff an opportunity to learn about the benefits of international collaboration and cooperation. The University of Sydney is a member of three international university networks, which provide opportunities for academic staff to collaborate with colleagues around the world. They are the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) and Academic Consortium 21 (AC21). The forum is open to all academic staff. To RSVP and for more information, contact Karen McLaren at karen.mclaren@sydney.edu.au
Date: Thursday 24 November Time: 1.45pm to 5pm Location: Seminar Room 022, Law Building
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Progress in China
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Following the successful delegation to China in October, the University has renewed its MOU with the China Scholarship Council for collaboration in PhD and postdoctoral programs.Following the successful delegation to China in October, the University has renewed its MOU with the China Scholarship Council for collaboration in PhD and postdoctoral programs. The renewal was signed in Beijing last week by Professor John Hearn and Mr Li Jianmin, Deputy Secretary General of the China Scholarship Council. The agreement has been in place since 2005. On his visit to Beijing, Profesor Hearn also attended the Beijing Forum hosted by Peking University and delivered a speech on the role of international partnerships in higher education reform. Professor Anthony Welch from the Faculty of Education and Social Work also spoke at the forum about the contribution of Chinese diaspora to innovation in the Chinese higher education system. Professor Hearn encouraged Chinese students to be actively involved in activities and research and said Chinese universities should have confidence and patience when facing the challenges of higher education. For a report of the China delegation in October, see http://sydney.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=8044
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Euro funding successes
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Three Sydney academics, Professor Roland Stocker, Professor Stephen Colagiuri and Professor Michael Kassiou, have been awarded more than $850,000 each under the NHRMC – European Union Collaborative Research Grants scheme.Three Sydney academics, Professor Roland Stocker, Professor Stephen Colagiuri and Professor Michael Kassiou, have been awarded more than $850,000 each under the NHRMC – European Union Collaborative Research Grants scheme to participate in European Commission Seventh Framework Programmes (FP7). The fifth round of the Group of Eight – Germany Joint Collaboration Scheme was also announced in early November with three Sydney academics successful in their submissions for collaborations with German counterparts from University of Regensburg, Freiburg, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. They are Professor Iain McGregor, Associate Professor Mark Gorrell, and Dr Yixiang Gan. Other recent visits and events from Europe include:
- a funding seminar by Dr Katrin Amian, regional director of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, on opportunities within the Humboldt schemes for researcher links with Germany;
- ETH Singapore Director, Professor Gerhard Schmitt, holding an architecture roundtable and meetings and a seminar with engineering;
- ETH Zurich, Director International Institutional Affairs, Margrit Ehrler, meeting with China Studies Centre, alumni, architecture and engineering;
- Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, delegation meetings with engineering, CET, International Office, arts and social sciences;
- the Deputy Minister of Agriculture from the Czech Republic holding a seminar at the Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources on EU agricultural policy;
- French INSERM delegation roundtable with Sydney Medical School on opportunities for health and medical research collaboration.
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International Leaders
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Twenty-five senior policy officials from the Ministry of Health in China arrive in Sydney this month to take part in the portfolio’s International Leaders Program.Twenty-five senior policy officials from the Ministry of Health in China arrive in Sydney this month to take part in the portfolio’s International Leaders Program. The three-week program includes sessions with leading Australian health policy advisors and academics and will outline how the Australian government exercises control over the supply of essential pharmaceuticals, how the pharmaceutical industry operates in Australia and its relationship with the government, health service providers and the community.
In December the ILP will be accompanying 10 water sustainability experts from around Australia on a visit to Korea as part of the Next Generation Leaders Program. The program is run by the Australia Korea Foundation and DFAT, and administered by the International Portfolio. The selected delegates are from industry, government and academia, and will meet their counterparts in Korea for to exchange information and foster partnerships.
Before the end of the year a group of 20 provincial and bureau officials from Guixzhou province in China will start the first part of a new three-year International Leaders Program looking at environmental sustainability and land use. The program will focus on environmental legislation and government policy related to sustainable land use.
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Malaysian visitors
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The President of Taylor’s University in Kuala Lumpur, Professor Dato' Dr Hassan Said, and the Dean of Engineering, Associate Professor Dr Mushtak Al-Atabi, have visited the University to discuss staff and student mobility and to sign an MoU.The President of Taylor’s University in Kuala Lumpur, Professor Dato' Dr Hassan Said, and the Dean of Engineering, Associate Professor Dr Mushtak Al-Atabi, have visited the University to discuss staff and student mobility and to sign an MoU for developing opportunities with the Faculty of Engineering and IT. Taylor’s University is a private institution with a reputation for teaching excellence and innovation in a broad range of disciplines. It has 11,000 students, 2,200 of them international, primarily from Asia and the Middle East. The university attract students from Europe for a 6-week study and cultural exchange program, during which students live with families in rural Malaysian villages. Students from the University of Sydney are also eligible to take part. Professor Said and Prof Al-Atabi were welcomed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor International, Professor John Hearn, and the International Development Manager for Southeast Asia, Dr Brenda Kranz. The MoU was signed by Professor Hearn and Professor John Patterson, the Acting Dean of Engineering and IT. The visitors also met Professor Steve Armfield, Head of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Professor Joseph Davis, Associate Dean International in the Faculty of Engineering and IT, Mr Peter Ball and Ms Kate Cormie from International Office, and Dr Anders Hallgran, Director of Sydnovate. More details about Taylor’s University can be found at http://www.taylors.edu.my/en/university/
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Assisting Indonesia
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The University of Sydney, represented by the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor International, recently completed a 14-month Public Sector Linkages Program on health workforce governance and management in Indonesia.The University of Sydney, represented by the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor International, recently completed a 14-month Public Sector Linkages Program on health workforce governance and management in Indonesia. The project, supported by AusAID, was developed and implemented in partnership with the University of Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Indonesian Medical Council, with expert advice and contributions from QUT and the Centre for Asian Integrity in Manila.
Led by Professor Stephanie Short, the project addressed health care quality and distribution, two major challenges currently faced by the Indonesian health workforce, by building the capacity and knowledge of Indonesian MoH staff in governance, workforce planning and co-ordination of health care services, particular in rural communities. The project team also drafted a national framework for governance of the medical care system applicable to the local context, providing local governments with a comprehensive reference point while fostering long-term collaboration to further research into health workforce governance.
This project represents one of 14 PSLP grants worth more than $2.5 million secured by the University and DVC International since the scheme was launched by AusAID in 2007, and which continues to be an important avenue for the conduct of development research and capacity building of global importance.
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