VU, Melbourne collaboration funds joint research projects
Vanderbilt University and Australia’s University of Melbourne have awarded $344,000 to support eight joint research projects as part of the expansion in their academic partnership announced last fall.
The expanded relationship includes a commitment to provide seed funding for research collaborations, expanding exchange programs for students, faculty and staff, a plan to exchange publications and information and joint sponsorship of conferences, symposia, artistic performances and other gatherings.
The Melbourne-Vanderbilt Partnership grants provide up to $50,000 per project for two years to assist researchers at both universities to enhance their respective research capabilities through collaboration. It is intended to support development of novel and mutually beneficial research that will enhance the depth and impact of research collaboration between the two institutions.
Vanderbilt began the partnership with Melbourne in 2007, when the two universities committed to building a new kind of strategic international partnership.
The goal was to establish a meaningful and long-term collaboration in virtually all academic fields that will stimulate discoveries and scholarship, enhance graduate and professional training, provide innovative curricula and share information and best practices in administration and governance.
So far, the official collaboration has produced a number of active research projects in areas that include free radical chemistry, nanoscience, reform of math education in middle school, colorectal cancer, improving care and treatment of people with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique and natural products anticancer drug discovery.
More information about the international collaboration is available at http://www.vanderbilt.unimelb.edu.au/.