Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Initiative

New ERA for University of Wollongong Research

The University of Wollongong’s standing as an international, research intensive institution has been boosted with the announcement today of the results of the Australian Government’s first Excellence in Research for Australia Initiative (ERA), by the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr.

The ERA initiative assesses research quality within Australia's universities using a combination of indicators (such as publications, research income, esteem/applied measures) and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally-recognised experts.

ERA identifies research areas within institutions and disciplines that are internationally competitive, as well as emerging areas where there are opportunities for development and further investment.
UOW was rated at or above world standard for research across a significant majority of its disciplines by the ERA initiative and received the highest possible ERA rating of “5” for research quality (well above world standard) in the areas of:

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Recognising the outstanding work done by the faculties of Commerce and Science, UOW was the only university in Australia to receive a 5 star rating in this research discipline.
Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry
UOW was the only university outside the Group of 8 to receive a 5 star rating (faculties of Science and Engineering).
Interdisciplinary Engineering
Strong research activity in the faculties of Engineering, Science and Informatics saw UOW receive one of only two 5 star ratings awarded in this discipline.

A range of UOW disciplines received a rating of 4 (above world standard) for research quality including Science, Engineering, Arts, and Creative Arts. Engineering research (rated a 4) placed equal 4th out of 31 universities in Australia, and for Visual Arts, UOW was one of only six institutions that received the highest rating for that discipline of “4”.

UOW consistently places in the top 2% of world universities and among the top 10 Australian universities for Australian Research Council grant outcomes and income.

“ UOW has established its excellent track record as one of Australia’s most research intensive universities by focusing on and developing areas of research strength. The 2010 ERA results confirm the success of that strategy and our standing as an internationally recognised research institution. These results will also assist UOW to identify and plan other potential research areas for further development,” Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Judy Raper said.

ERA Rankings 5