The Cooperative Research Centres Association has welcomed the launch of the new Entrepreneurial PhD Program (ePhD) by the Cell Therapy Manufacturing CRC.
“Building the industries of the future requires skills beyond the deep research knowledge of a traditional PhD,” says CEO of the CRC Association, Dr. Tony Peacock.
“It is brilliant to see another CRC tailoring their PhD offering to ensure industry savvy-students are ready to join the growing Australian Biotech Industry.”
“In fact,” Dr. Peacock says, “We should forget the notion of a ‘traditional PhD’ in Australia altogether.”
“The University of Melbourne was the first institution to award PhDs in Australia, and that was only in 1948. We don’t serve the students, industries or the country best if we take a rigid view of what a PhD is. It is a training degree and we have to train people to be the industry leaders of the future.”
Cooperative Research Centres have taken a leading role in helping universities deliver new approaches in PhD training. In a recent report by the Australian Department of Education: Initiatives to enhance the professional development of research students (June 2014) 6 of the 15 case studies cited were CRC-related. CRCs fund about 5% of Australia’s postgraduates.
The CRC Association was the first Australian organisation to license Vitae’s Research Development Framework, which helps researchers identify the knowledge, behaviours and attributes of successful researchers.
The CRC Association’s Early Career Research Showcase, proudly sponsored by the CSIRO, is currently open for entry for CRC Association Members. Researchers enter by submitting a 30-second YouTube video discussing their research, emphasising the importance of communications for a modern researcher.
The Cell Therapy Manufacturing CRC ePhD opportunities can be found here.
Last year’s Early Career Research video applications can be found here.
Information: Jordan Gardner, CRC Association
Phone: 02 6273 1124
Email: jordan.gardner@crca.asn.au
Website: www.crca.asn.au