THE University of Newcastle's announcement of two external reviews to determine the future direction of its Research and Innovation Division has raised staff concerns.
Vice Chancellor Alex Zelinsky wrote to staff on Thursday that he recognised the division "has been in a period of uncertainty for some time and that this has been taxing and challenging".
"In spite of these difficult circumstances, our colleagues in the division have continued to work hard to support our research community and have achieved excellent some results," Professor Zelinsky said.
"In particular, R&I Division has supported a sustained period of growth in the university's research portfolio over the past five years.
"Research income has grown from $99 million in 2016 to $113 million in 2019 with further significant growth in 2020. We've also seen some great gains in our ERA [Excellence in Research for Australia] rankings and our impact rankings. I thank our colleagues for their important contributions to these successes."
He said UON paused its Enabling Change process within the division earlier this year "recognising that additional information was needed to guide the future direction of the division".
"This pause took account of shifts in the leadership of the research portfolio and emerging government priorities for Australian research, which may influence broader research priorities for the university as well as the work of the division," he said.
"It is therefore timely that we review our current state and consider future opportunities."
Professor Zelinsky said UON would obtain independent advice from two external reviews to be carried out in parallel and conducted remotely.
The first will be a "focused assessment of the operations, needs and capabilities" of the Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise (KEE) unit.
The second will examine the "structure, resourcing, and capacity of the administration, leadership and operations" of the division. He invited staff to share their views by written submission.
National Tertiary Education Union Newcastle branch president Dan Conway said members were "concerned that the timeframe is too tight for people to engage with the process in a meaningful way".
"Particularly in light of the stress that COVID has put on staff and the community," Mr Conway said.
"University management have recently requested we delay enterprise bargaining because of the added stress COVID is placing on people.
"To begin this review now, which will inevitably lead to more change which results in job cuts doesn't seem to be consistent with that same message of minimising stress."
Former Pro Vice-Chancellor (Innovation & Advancement) and chief executive of ANU Enterprise at the Australian National University Emeritus Professor Michael Cardew-Hall will conduct the KEE unit review.
Former Provost and Senior Vice-President at Monash University Professor Edwina Cornish and Monash director of research operations Halina Oswald will conduct the second review.
