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Knowledge, information and know-how — these are some of the most valuable assets that an organisation can have — and they can provide the edge in a globally competitive environment.
Universities are all about knowledge. Creating knowledge through research and then disseminating that knowledge is traditionally achieved through teaching and publication. It is usually explicit, and is embodied in books, papers in learned journals or on trusted sites on the Internet. Knowledge can also be tacit, through individuals or groups that have been through some learning experience. A key requirement for a university then is how it transfers the knowledge that it has within it.
In the fields of engineering and information and communication technology we graduate students with the tools and capabilities to become highly skilled engineers and computer scientists in the workplace. We also train postgraduate students who will become the innovators of the future, equipped with a deep understanding of the science that drives engineering and computing, and which will create technologies that we haven’t even thought of yet. This is what we mean by tacit knowledge.
ANU graduates are highly valued for what they know and, perhaps more importantly, how they apply it, because knowledge is only useful if it can solve problems or bring about a desired outcome, such as a new product or design.
In their research and teaching functions universities also acquire vast tracts of new knowledge. In a world-class institution like ANU, this is pioneering whole new engineering topics as well as building on established areas. Explicit knowledge gained from such research may lead to completely new technologies that can give a real competitive edge. This can be shared or transferred through licenses or start-up companies or some other well defined commercialisation mechanism.
So, universities and their academic communities are a huge store of knowledge that can be used to serve the public and private sectors, but they are always looking for better ways to do this.
Bringing about good knowledge transfer is an important function of a university and is an ideal example of the value of the work they carry out. The key to this is building long term enduring relationships with business in the public and private sector through innovative methods to make knowledge transfer better.
However, knowledge transfer is not a one way street. Knowledge exchange is perhaps a better term, because it more fully describes an equal process in which all partners add value to each other — internships for staff and students with industry is a very good way of demonstrating this — and we have a real ‘win/win’ situation. There is a real commitment to exchanging knowledge at ANU, and to building partnerships that will have long-term economic and social benefits.
At the College of Engineering and Computer Science we use the traditional knowledge transfer tools of teaching and publication. But, we’re also engaged in other ways to foster and build knowledge exchange with the broader community.
We are taking a big step in developing our knowledge exchange capability on 22 June by staging an exhibition of current research carried out by our postgraduate students. Our students have much to gain from this in building networks for after graduation, learning how to talk about their research to a broad community, defining their outstanding research ideas, and most importantly, in sharing this knowledge with people in the public and private sectors. We are very pleased that the Canberra Business Council is partnering with us in a joint function to build bridges between research and business at this event.
Who knows what kind of knowledge exchange may happen or how valuable it will be? Whether it is explicit, or tacit (or both) it will almost certainly be priceless.
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