Universities

Data61 currently collaborates with 30 universities across Australia.

The Data61 - University Collaboration Agreement (DUCA) is a collaborative relationship between Data61 and each DUCA university. By establishing a single agreement, collaboration between both parties is consistent and streamlined. This allows conversations around collaboration to be driven in a "bottom up" manner by researchers, focusing on the key practical aspects of collaboration, namely –

Whilst Data61's primary engagement is with computer science schools, we are seeking to grow collaborative relationships and engage with other university faculties and schools, such as psychology, business and law.

DUCA Benefits

• Collaborative Research Projects (CRPs)

  This provides the opportunity for university staff to scale up research and to engage with the large research activities in Data61.

• PhD co-supervision and co-funding

  One of Data61’s central goals is lifting the quality and quantity of PhD students in all areas of technology and science surrounding data.  This is primarily in the computer science space, but will expand to psychology, business and law schools.  Data61 offers a substantial number of full and top-up scholarships, via state-based competitive processes.  All such PhD students have a university faculty supervisor (who will typically be part of Data61 under a CRP Agreement plus a Data61 researcher as supervisor).  Students are typically embedded in Data61 projects, and spend their time in Data61 labs and may access a range of mechanisms to broaden the student experience, for example, external internships and training.

  Data61 may also orchestrate joint scholarships and support from other CSIRO business units, to exploit the huge opportunities that exist at the intersection of different business unit focus, Data61 and the universities.

  More information about Data61 PhD Scholarships, can be found here.

• Adjunct appointments

  Data61 researchers typically have adjunct appointments at their local university, where they contribute via PhD student supervision and some undergraduate teaching.  Data61 encourages all its researchers to do some university teaching, which is typically donated to the university.  These appointments remain the prerogative of the university.

• Joint research grant funding opportunities

  Data61 and universities may jointly bid for research funding from various sources (for example, several large projects funded by Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).  Data61 is particularly interested in opportunities where the combination of Data61 and a university is greater than the sum of the parts.

• Strategic joint appointment opportunities

  Data61 and universities may partner or collaborate to allow either Data61 or a university to employ outstanding candidates on a jointly funded and joint appointment basis.  Typically these will be outstanding senior candidates where the combination of Data61 and university resources, and reputation, can make a more attractive proposition.

• Strategic training opportunities

  Data61 and universities may partner or collaborate to complement a university's lead in education where appropriate, for example, by contributing to focused industry and government training objectives.

How to start a DUCA collaboration

If you would like to start a DUCA collaboration (otherwise known as a Collaborative Research Project or "CRP") with Data61. The starting point is to either find a mutual interest in a collaborative opportunity between one (or more) university and Data61 researchers or contact the University Partnerships Committee secretariat (Data61UPC@csiro.au) and we can assist with the process.

Data61's multi-disciplinary programs offer deep domain expertise; navigating disruption, we innovate for the future:

• Analytics
• Cyber- physical systems
• Decision Sciences 
• Software and computational systems
• Engineering and user experience design
• Strategic Insight

Once a sense of the proposed project has been established, and the respective cash and/or in-kind contribution defined; a CRP Agreement can be prepared and circulated. CRP Agreements will be based on the standard set of terms that have been agreed as part of the DUCA. These standard terms include; ownership of resulting IP, rights to use that IP for research or commercialisation, benefit sharing, procedures around publication and student involvement, access to each other's premises, and confidentiality.

Deep enduring relationships between Data61 and universities strengthen the total research and innovation capability in digital and data-related technologies in Australia. By collaborating with Australia's leading digital research network, together we can build a strong network of capabilities that benefits all participants, and create a growing cohort of ICT/digital researchers for Australia's industries and public sectors.

Together we can create Australia's data-driven future.

Require further information? Keen to collaborate? Contact us.