December 1998 Newsletter

CENTRE'S FIFTH YEAR REVIEW POSITIVE

The first five years of the CRC Reef Research Centre Ltd have been reviewed. This review was conducted in detail and is critical to continued funding for the CRC to the end of its contractual agreement (30 June 2000). The review also has an important bearing on the success of the renewal application lodged for funding a `new' CRC to operate from July 2000. The review was in two stages:

Stage 1: Review of research and researchers.

This review was conducted by:

Dr Roy Green
Dr Michael Gourlay
Prof Alistair Robertson
Prof William Hammitt

This review was very positive. The Panel made the following comments:

The Panel is unanimous in its view that the Centre is performing extremely well in the quality and relevance of its research and that the proposed research activity to the end of the current contract is relevant to its mission, and achievable.
The Centre has made excellent progress in converting research outcomes into products, processes and assistance to decision-making needed by its industry partners and the community in general.
The Panel has no doubt that the Centre is adding value through cooperative research which would not have been attained by the partners acting individually.
The Centre has made significant progress towards achieving all milestones identified in the Commonwealth Agreement 1993 and the Centre's own Strategic Plan 1994-1998.
The Centre has achieved a good strategic and tactical balance in its research, and an appropriate breadth and depth to serve its stakeholders.
The Centre has produced work that is of international standard and which is not being performed elsewhere in the world.

Stage 2: Review of Centre performance.

The Panel reviewed all aspects of the Centre including research and information transfer. The Panel comprised:

Prof Graeme Kelleher
Prof Tor Hundloe
Dr John Vercoe

Once again the Centre was found to be performing very well. Some selected quotes from the Stage 2 Panel are:

"This Centre has to be classed as highly successful."

"The fact that it is assessed as generally highly successful is a tribute to the competence and dedication of the Board, its Chairman, its ex-Director and to its staff and students."

"This CRC is therefore of immense significance to a unique natural environment, which has been inscribed on the World Heritage List, and to the economic welfare of Queensland and the rest of Australia."

"In this context the Centre has made very significant progress in achieving the fundamental objectives of the CRC Program."

"The Panel recommends that funding for this Centre continue at the agreed level to the end of the current grant period."

"It is considered that the achievements in research have been of a very high standard and their integration within an overall research framework has improved research design and application by users."

"The Centre's Extension and Communication Program is excellent in the face of the number and diversity of community sectors whose welfare is affected by the work of the CRC."

"The Education Program is considered to be unusually competent with significant involvement of non-university co-supervisors of post-graduates."

by Simon Woodley, Director

The reports and the responses by the CRC Board are being prepared for publication and will be available in early 1999; if you would like to receive a copy please contact Lisa Arnell.

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