PANEL SESSIONS
Curious about the conversations shaping our field?
This year’s panels bring together diverse thinkers from every corner of research management. You’ll join dynamic discussions where panellists unpack challenges, compare experiences, and offer grounded, practical ideas you can take straight back to your own work.
Each session is designed to spark dialogue, challenge assumptions, and give you a window into how others are navigating the same questions you face.
Global Forces Reshaping Research Management
09 September 2025
02:45PM - 03:45PM
Global forces are reshaping the research management profession at unprecedented speed. Research institutions worldwide are confronting tightening research budgets, escalating compliance and security requirements, rising expectations for demonstrable impact, and growing challenges in attracting and retaining skilled research support professionals.
At the same time, rapid advances in digital tools and data capabilities are transforming how research offices operate, accelerating the shift from transactional processing to strategic, value‑adding support. This session introduces these intersecting pressures and opportunities, highlighting why research management must now be recognised as critical national research infrastructure.
Drawing on a panel of leading experts, the session will explore how institutions can strengthen capability, embrace collaboration, and invest in systems and people to build resilient, ethical, and impact‑driven research ecosystems for the future.
Dr Anna Chan
Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Dr Amanda Cleaver
The Kids Research Institute
Australia
(Facilitator)
Dr Ross McLennan
Macquarie University
Simon Porter
Digital Science
Dr Milica Symul
Flinders University
Horizon Europe and Australasia: Opportunities, Strategy and Readiness for Global Research Collaboration
10 September 2025
02:15PM - 03:15PM
This plenary panel session will provide an overview of Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programme, and its growing relevance for the Australasian research sector.
The session will open with a presentation on Horizon Europe’s global ambitions, including its focus on excellent science, industrial competitiveness, and addressing major societal challenges through key funding schemes and international collaboration opportunities.
This will be followed by a panel discussion examining what association to Horizon Europe means in practice for institutions, researchers, and research managers across Australasia, and how engagement with Europe can strengthen international partnerships, research impact, and access to global research networks.
Attendees will gain practical insights into preparing institutions and researchers for deeper participation in Horizon Europe, including consortium building, researcher positioning, engaging with European partners, navigating relevant calls, understanding participation requirements, and leveraging international networks to strengthen collaboration and competitiveness.
Dr Jon Cox
Monash University
(Facilitator)
Jane Holt
RMIT University
Mark Hurdley
Waipapa Taumata Rau, The University of Auckland
Taina Lloyd
The University of Queensland
Nishant Shandilya
EURAXESS Worldwide
