Strategic Priority Areas for Collaboration Committee (SPARC)
A high level steering committee to lead the implementation of the Health and Medical Research (HMR) Strategic Review’s recommendations.
The strategic review of the University’s health and medical research had been introduced by the Vice-Chancellor in 2012. A review committee, led by Peter Wills AC, was established focusing on the way the University could optimise resources and mechanisms that could be introduced to enhance research collaboration and to prepare for the University’s application to the NHMRC’s Advanced Health Research Centre initiative. The committee presented its final report (Wills Review) in mid-2013.
Early in 2014 a steering committee was established with the major goal for 2014 to allocate HMR funds in support of the four strategic priority areas for collaboration (SPARCs) identified by the review: obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease; cancer; mental health and neuroscience; and infectious diseases.
The Committee had two key roles, to:
1. ensure the mission and objectives of the Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) and the Brain & Mind Centre (BMC) are met with respect to both the academic and supporting operational model; and
2. enable monitoring and review at a ‘whole of university' level of program outcomes and returns on investment against the CPC and BMC mission and business cases.
The SPARC Committee will:
- Review and recommend for SEG's approval the CPC and BMC strategic and annual business plans and their alignment with the University, division and faculty strategies.
- Monitor, regularly review and report on the performance of the CPC and BMC against their agreed strategy and business case.
- Monitor and report on the implementation of the academic strategies of the CPC and BMC, in particular the extent to which they deliver new research and teaching paradigms (not just more of the same) as set out in the their mission and objectives.
- Monitor and report on the development of the CPC and BMC cultures to support world-class, multi-disciplinary research and teaching supported by the values of collaboration and innovation and a focus on results.
- Monitor and report on the effectiveness of strategies for securing engagement from faculties and external stakeholders with the CPC and BMC, with a particular focus on ‘collaboration' and ‘affiliation' agreements'.
- Monitor and report on the development and implementation of the operational model for delivery of professional services (Finance, HR, CIS, ICT, Marketing & Communications, OGC) in the CPC and BMC to ensure they support the research and education agenda through efficient and effective service support, financial arrangements and facilities management.
- Monitor high-level risks relating to the operations of the CPC and BMC SPARCs including the appropriateness of their corresponding controls.
Researchers from across the University were asked to bring their ideas to the Strategic Priority AReas for Collaboration (SPARCs) Advisory Groups for initiatives to establish and build meaningful connections into each of the Health and Medical Research Review's proposed SPARCs.
There were four SPARCs advisory groups supervised by the steering committee:
• Mental Health and Neuroscience (Brain and Mind Research Institute
• Obesity, Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (Charles Perkins Centre)
• Cancer (Cancer Research Network)
• Infectious Diseases (Marie Bashir Institute