Research collaboration with the Department of Infrastructure and Transport

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport is eager to engage with external researchers and research organisations, to make sure relevant research is being translated into policy-making.

The Department is currently developing a research engagement strategy, more details of which will be provided here when available.

Lyn O’Connell’s (Deputy Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure and Transport) address to the 2011 Australasian Transport Research Forum, outlining priorities for strategic transport research and technology in Australia, will be posted here shortly.

Examples of the Department’s collaboration with the research community

Some recent examples of collaboration between the Department of Infrastructure and Transport and the research community include:

• Along with CSIRO and ARRB Group, BITRE is hosting the Low Carbon Transport Forum, a series of workshops involving researchers, industry, governments and community groups. More information about the Forum can be found on www.arrb.com.au.
• BITRE recently hosted a symposium on patronage forecasting for toll roads. This symposium brought together experts from the research community, industry, and government to discuss issues relating to patronage forecasting for major road projects. The summary of the symposium outcomes can be found on www.bitre.gov.au.
• The Australian Government has contributed toward the establishment of the SMART Infrastructure Facility at the University of Wollongong. For more information, visit their website. In March 2011, The Department of Infrastructure and Transport and the SMART Infrastructure Facility co-hosted the National SMART Infrastructure Research Summit. The report of proceedings from that summit can be found on smart.uow.edu.au.

National research priorities

The Australian Strategic Transport Agenda for Research and Technology (ASTART) includes a number of priority themes for research in the infrastructure and transport area, which are currently being revised following the Strategic Research and Technology Forum on September 27, 2011. The outcomes of this forum will be reported here when available.

Specific research engagement priorities for the Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport research engagement priorities can be found here. This list will be expanded as more research engagement priorities are finalised.

If you are interested in collaborating with the Department in any of the areas in this list, or other areas that may be relevant to the Department, please register your interest here.

If you have any queries about possible research collaboration, call (02) 6274 7818 or email bitre@infrastructure.gov.au.

Primers for obtaining Commonwealth research funding

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport does not currently have a formal process for allocating research funding. Primers for obtaining Commonwealth funding for research on infrastructure and transport issues can be found here.