The UTS Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Research Excellence were established in 2010 to recognise the outstanding contribution UTS staff make towards helping shape the world we live in.
Through its 2027 Strategy, UTS is committed to growing its reputation as a leading public university of technology, with research excellence and innovation as core tenets of its activities. Through our education, research, and engagement, we will further enhance our international standing, delivering real benefit to our communities.
The Vice-Chancellor’s Research Excellence Awards recognise the efforts of our staff in these endeavours.
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2024 UTS Vice-Chancellor Awards for Research Excellence Guidelines & Award Categories (PDF 572kB)
General eligibility and advice
- The nominee(s) must be current UTS employees or have an honorary appointment. They would normally have completed probation without impediments to their continued employment.
- Casual staff may be nominated where appropriate.
- The nominee(s)—including the coordinating nominee—must have been employed at UTS for at least two years at the time of nomination. For UTS team nominations, the majority of the team must have been at UTS for at least two years.
- The nominated research activity must have been conducted at UTS.
- An individual or team can be nominated for multiple categories in any given year, but only once per category. Previous winners are not eligible to be nominated again in the same category.
- Subject to eligibility criteria, previous finalists may re-submit their nomination in the current round.
- Multi- or cross-disciplinary nominations are highly encouraged where appropriate.
- Each Faculty/Division may submit a maximum of three nominations per category.
- For team nominations, all parties that played a critical role in the nominated activity should be included in the nomination. These may be academic, professional staff and/or HDR students.
- Attention is drawn to the selection criterion ‘Contribution to UTS culture of excellence and research significance’. This is aligned with the University-wide strategy and reflects the behaviours and values (including social justice) considered critical for the University to realise its vision. All nominations need to address this criterion in the application.
- Attention is drawn to the selection criterion ‘8 characteristics of research at UTS’. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and are central to how we collectively create and deliver excellence in research support. All nominations need to address this criterion in the application.
- All nominees (except for the Research Management and Development Award) must have an up-to-date Discovery profile. Discovery Profiles are used to assess track records.
- Late or incomplete applications will be ruled ineligible.
Selection process
- Submissions will be considered against the selection criteria for each award or medal, with research performance and track record considered relative to opportunity for all nominees.
- Each category will be judged by a five/six-member panel chaired by the DVC Research and including representatives from the academic community such as Deans, Associate Deans, Research, research leaders, previous winners, and representatives of research support functions. The panel reserves the right to:
- Seek additional information from nominators or other sources within UTS.
- Request a nomination be considered in another category, subject to the eligibility criteria.
- Recommend more than one winner where nominations are equally meritorious.
- Recommend Highly Commended nominees.
- Recommend that a category not be awarded where the quality of the nominations is not sufficiently meritorious.
- Following the panel decision, the DVC Research will recommend up to three finalists in each prize/medal, including the actual award recipient, to the Vice-Chancellor.
- The decision of the Vice-Chancellor is final and cannot be the subject of an appeal.
Selection criteria
Selection criteria and any additional eligibility requirements are outlined below under each award category.
Research Medals
Chancellor’s Medal for Research Excellence
This award honours outstanding research at UTS. The nominated research activities should demonstrate sustained research excellence at the highest level over a period of several years. Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the nomination and provide evidence of the breadth of its contribution. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Research excellence (60%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research and how this excellence has been sustained over a period of several years. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they enhance our capabilities in, and connections to, creative and professional practice and how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of creativity and its related non-traditional research outputs.
- Demonstrate evidence of impact and engagement outside the University as it relates to this research. Research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
- Evidence of competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, or
- Evidence of external research funding from sources other than competitive grants
(for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder (for example, through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction).
Originality and significance of the research (30%)
- Describe the research and demonstrate how it has contributed to new knowledge and to advancing the boundaries of the disciplines.
- Demonstrate how the research is innovative and, where appropriate, how it enhances our expertise in leading practice-based research.
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
UTS Medal for Research Impact
This medal is awarded for research that has achieved considerable impact outside the academic community, including within the creative and/or professional practice(s). The definition of impact for this award is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture beyond the contribution to academic research. Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the described impact, the impact itself and a list of corroborating sources. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Details of the impact (60%)
- Describe the impact of this research, specifically how the research has influenced or benefited the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
- Include evidence of the significance of the impact. This should include a description of the social, cultural, or other significant impact achieved because of the public’s engagement with the research (e.g., widespread readership of outputs or through media engagement).
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
Research excellence (30%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research, which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Creative research practices that have generated non-traditional research outputs are considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Evidence of competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, OR
- Evidence of external research funding from sources other than competitive grants (e.g. contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder, for example through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
UTS Medal for Excellence in Research and Teaching Integration
This award recognises an academic or a team of academics for their outstanding research and outstanding teaching at UTS. Special consideration will be given to those who demonstrate their ability to successfully integrate research, teaching and learning across a range of research and teaching activities. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Teaching excellence (35%)
- Describe the innovative approaches to teaching and learning that have been applied and how they have better-enabled learning outcomes to be achieved.
- Provide evidence of enhanced students’ experience that influences, motivates, and inspires students to learn, that has been achieved from the teaching practices.
- Provide evidence of publications on teaching developments and their influence on the practice of the wider community. Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated teaching. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the teaching practice which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
Research excellence (35%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research, which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Creative research practices that have generated non-traditional research outputs are considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Demonstrate evidence of impact and engagement outside the University as it relates to this research. Research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
- Describe how the impact has been achieved (e.g., how the research reached the end user) and who has benefited.
- Provide evidence, in the Discovery profiles of each of the nominees, of:
- Competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, OR
- External research funding from sources other than competitive grants (e.g., contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder, for example through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction.
Research, learning and teaching interrelatedness (20%)
- Describe how the research supports key learning areas within the research discipline.
- Demonstrate how the class experience has been beneficial for research design.
- Provide details of research that has been successfully integrated into teaching practice and vice versa.
- Demonstrate how research methods or outcomes have been integrated into subjects and courses at UTS and beyond.
- Where appropriate, describe how the research showcases our capabilities in, and connections to, creative and/or professional practice(s) and supports key learning areas within the research discipline.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Research Awards
Research Translation Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS staff (both academic and professional staff involved in the translation), who have demonstrated the ability to effectively translate their research into use by others outside of academia. This award will recognise excellent research that has been adopted by others in ways that has, or has the potential to, create significant positive change that will ultimately lead to impactful outcomes. This award category is open to all research translation pathways, including but not limited to:
- Translating research into clinical practice and patient care protocols.
- Creating new processes, materials and techniques used to produce products.
- Influencing policy, legislation, or Government service delivery.
- Delivering social change through the adoption of evidence-based interventions.
- Influencing or changing professional and creative practices.
- Addressing environmental challenges and practices.
- Embedding new digital technologies into existing products or services.
- Commercialising new technologies to disrupt or improve a sector.
Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the nomination and provide evidence of the activities and processes taken to proactively translate the research into use.
The nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Effective research translation (40%)
- Describe the end-user problem that the research was trying to solve, including why the problem exists, what the consequences of the problem are, and the scale of the problem (who does the problem impact and to what extent?).
- Describe the planning process that was undertaken to effectively and proactively translate the research into use by others outside of academia.
- Describe the ways that the original research needed to be adapted or developed in order for it to be adopted into use.
- Demonstrate how you engaged with the end-users in the process of research translation.
- Describe any challenges or hurdles you had to overcome and how you overcame them.
- Provide evidence of the research being adopted. This can be in the form of testimonials from end users, copies of any relevant documents or reports or other forms of demonstration of the research in use as appropriate.
- Describe how the research that has been translated benefits the end users, what has changed, or will change, as a result of the research being adopted.
Originality and significance of the research (30%)
- Describe the underlying research and demonstrate how it has contributed to new knowledge and to advancing the boundaries of the discipline.
- Describe how the research is innovative and how it addresses the end-user problem.
Research excellence (20%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this award must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Research which enhances our expertise in leading practice-based research.
- Evidence of:
- Competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, OR
- External research funding from sources other than competitive grants (for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder, for example through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Supervisor of the Year Award
Quality supervision is critical to the success of any research candidature, including timely completion of milestones and the development of appropriate academic and research integrity practices. This award recognises an outstanding research supervisor and the important role they play in supporting the research achievements and development of talented Higher Degree Research candidates.
Nominees (research supervisors) must be nominated by a former student, or a current student who has submitted the final draft of their thesis and is waiting on the outcome. The thesis submission must be the final submission after an assessor review has been conducted and all revisions to the thesis have been made. Nominations in Symplectic must be completed by the nominee (research supervisor) and the former student or current student must fill out the Nominator’s Statement of Support. Only one nomination per supervisor will be accepted, therefore it is important that nominators should coordinate support for the application among their peers.
The performance of nominees should be described in relation to each of the criteria below. It is important that descriptions indicate how the nominees’ activities demonstrate excellence in relation to the criteria. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Sustained and outstanding results of supervision (25%)
- Provide evidence of sustained and outstanding results of the nominated supervisor
(for example, have students from a range of backgrounds been encouraged to pursue a doctorate? What have the research students gone on to achieve?) - Provide evidence of the nominee offering constructive employment and career advice post-graduation.
Supervision innovation (25%)
- Provide evidence of the pioneering approach by the nominated supervisor. What has the nominee done, above and beyond what is expected of any good supervisor?
- How have they used the UTS supervisory panel approach to provide innovative and high-quality supervision?
Dedication (20%)
- Provide demonstrable evidence for the nominee’s enthusiasm for the role and going the extra mile to help students navigate difficulties, academic or otherwise.
Academic leadership (20%)
- Provide evidence of the nominee’s efforts in constructively challenging students intellectually and helping them to make substantial contributions to their academic field.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Early Career Research Excellence Award
This award is for an outstanding piece of research conducted by an individual early career researcher (ECR). Nominees are eligible for this award if, at the closing date for nominations, it is five years or less since the date of their PhD conferral. The research entered for consideration should demonstrate research excellence relative to the length of career and to opportunities.
Nominees must include information about the research underpinning the nomination and provide evidence of the breadth of its contribution to the research field. Evidence of the nominee’s potential contribution to becoming a research leader is also assessed. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Consideration will be given to an eligibility exemption in the case of verifiable career disruptions. Eligible career disruptions are in line with those endorsed by the Australian Research Council.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Originality and significance of the research (30%)
- Describe the research and demonstrate how it has contributed to new knowledge and to advancing the boundaries of the discipline.
- Describe how the research is innovative.
Research excellence (30%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Research which enhances our expertise in leading practice-based research.
- Demonstrate evidence of impact and engagement outside the University as it relates to this research. Research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
- Evidence of:
- Competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, OR
- External research funding from sources other than competitive grants (for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder (for example, through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction).
Future research leader (30%)
- Provide evidence of:
- Building peer and external networks.
- Community outreach.
- The nominee’s developing leadership capabilities.
- The nominee’s efforts to champion junior researchers.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Research Leadership and Development Award
This award is to recognize and encourage an individual researcher who is on a path to becoming a research leader. The nominee is likely to be a mid-career researcher (approximately 5-15 years post PhD) who displays evidence of being a research leader and champion of research development. Evidence of the nominee’s research excellence will be assessed. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Leadership and Development activities (60%)
- Provide evidence of:
- A research vision that has delivered results.
- Teamwork, mentoring and training of peers, early career researchers and research degree students.
- How the nominee has helped integrate younger researchers into the wider research community, within and beyond their own research community and UTS, including post PhD employment.
- How the nominee has implemented innovative skills development programs and supported broader programs for researcher development outside their immediate unit.
- The nominee’s contributions to the development and strengthening of institutional and local ECR strategy and policy.
- The nominee’s capacity for building peer networks and external collaborations.
Research excellence (30%)
- Include evidence of excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research, which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Demonstrate evidence of impact and engagement outside the University as it relates to this research. Research impact is the contribution that research makes to the economy, society, environment, or culture, beyond the contribution to academic research.
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
- Provide evidence of competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research, OR
- Evidence of external research funding from sources other than competitive grants (for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder (for example, through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction).
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Research Excellence through Collaboration Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS researchers, who have developed and sustained a research collaboration (internal to UTS or with researchers from other universities and/or research organisations) that has resulted in the delivery of significant outcomes, including in creative industries or practices. This award will recognise excellent research involving a multi- or trans-disciplinary research team, consisting of collaborators across two or more UTS faculties or units in traditionally unrelated disciplines. The nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Eligibility
The research entered may be a single project or a program of research. External collaborators should not be included as nominees; however, the nomination must include a letter of support from the external collaborator describing the outcomes and benefits of the collaboration. This must not exceed two pages.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Collaboration (40%)
- Demonstrate the strength of the collaboration and evidence of teamwork.
- Provide evidence of leadership within the collaboration.
- Describe how the research outcomes were only possible because of the collaboration.
Research significance and impact (30%)
- Demonstrate evidence of the collaboration, and the benefits and impact that it brings to the University.
- Provide evidence of learning experiences being shared for use in future collaborations.
- Provide evidence of output/outcomes from the collaboration, including publications, research quality metrics and impact on society/industry (for example, citations, external research funding, industry scholarships and supervision of research degree candidates) which resulted from this collaboration.
Research excellence (20%)
Include evidence of:
- Excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research, which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
- Provide evidence of competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research; or
- Evidence of external research funding from sources other than competitive grants (for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder (for example, through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction).
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Research Excellence through Partnership Award
This is awarded to a UTS researcher, or team of UTS researchers, who have developed and sustained a research partnership that has resulted in the delivery of significant outcomes, including in creative industries or practices. This award category is aimed at recognising excellent research involving external partnerships with industry, community groups, government, councils, NGOs, not-for-profit charity organisations, etc.—working with people and organisations that are not identifiable as predominately undertaking research themselves directly. The nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Eligibility
The research entered may be a single project or a program of research. External partners should not be included as nominees; however, the nomination must include a letter of support from the external partner describing the outcomes and benefits of the partnership. This must not exceed two pages.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Collaboration (40%)
- Demonstrate the strength of the partnership and evidence of teamwork.
- Provide evidence of leadership within the partnership.
- Describe how the research outcomes were only possible because of the partnership.
Research significance and impact (30%)
- Demonstrate evidence of the partnership, and the benefits and impact that it brings to the University.
- Provide evidence of learning experiences being shared for use in future partnerships.
- Provide evidence of output/outcomes from the partnership, including publications, research quality metrics and impact on society/industry (for example, citations, external research funding, industry scholarships and supervision of research degree candidates), which resulted from this partnership.
Research excellence (20%)
Include evidence of:
- Excellence in relation to the nominated research. This may include information related to measures of esteem, honours and awards/prizes, and any other evaluations of the research, which are appropriate to demonstrating excellence.
- Research nominated for this medal must have been published in internationally respected, externally refereed outlets (noting that this includes national publishing houses and journals of international standing). Provide details of these publications, including citation data where appropriate.
- Research that has generated non-traditional research outputs is considered under this criterion. Here, nominees should describe these outputs and explain how they represent research excellence in their field. The nominator should reinforce this assessment of non-traditional research outputs.
- Where applicable, describe how the plan for research impact was developed, who has benefitted from the research, and how it reached the end user (CSIRO case study example).
- Provide evidence of competitive external research funding, secured either to support the nominated research or awarded because of the successful outcomes of the research; or
- Evidence of external research funding from sources other than competitive grants (for example, contract research) and the satisfaction of the funder(for example through further funding or written endorsement of their satisfaction).
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Research Management and Development Award (Professional Staff)
For an outstanding contribution or initiative in support services that has boosted research capability and/or development at either Faculty/School/Discipline/Institute or UTS-level. This award is open to individuals or teams of professional staff across UTS who support research excellence. Furthermore, the nomination must address how the research activities contribute to the UTS culture of excellence and align with one or more of the Eight Characteristics of Research at UTS.
Selection criteria
Nominations must address each of the following criteria.
Initiative (30%)
Describe how the nominee/team has:
- Demonstrated leadership within their team or across the UTS research community.
- Shown ingenuity in researcher development initiative and/or research capability at UTS.
- Created or improved processes and procedures.
Performance (contribution) (30%)
- Provide evidence that the quality of work/output or service contributed by the nominee/team has gone above and beyond the normal duties of the position and has led to successful outcomes for an associated research program or team.
- Demonstrate a significant and sustained effort to improve systems and enhance support.
Relationship excellence (30%)
- Provide evidence of a demonstrated ability to build and maintain productive collaborative relationships and research networks across UTS.
- Demonstrate the strength of the partnership and evidence of teamwork.
Contribution to the UTS culture of excellence (5%)
As a member of the UTS community, staff are expected to adhere to the principles of good citizenship, being generous with their help, supporting others and collaborating with colleagues in matters relating to research, learning and teaching, knowledge transfer, and working for the benefit of the University as a whole. Examples of good citizenship and conduct are:
- Active engagement with colleagues and accepting delegated responsibilities
- Creating good working relationships with colleagues and others
- Fulfilling commitments
- Adherence to the University’s policies
- Respect for colleagues at all levels
- Contributing positively to meetings or training events
- Showing leadership in the promotion of work/life balance
- Contributing to a culture of peer support and mentoring
- Provide evidence of adherence to the principles of good citizenship
Align with the eight characteristics of research at UTS (5%)
The UTS Research Strategy identifies eight characteristics that underlie and motivate how we work and build our careers at UTS. These eight characteristics are core to the UTS Research Strategy and the work of academic staff, professional staff, and Higher Degree Research students. Nominees should identify one or more of these characteristics and briefly explain how their nominated activities reflect that/those characteristic(s).
Prizes
Each award or medal recipient will receive a medal or trophy, a certificate of award, and a financial award (amount specified within each category) that can be added to their nominated UTS research account (and used for UTS-related research activities within twelve months of award) or can be taken as personal income, in which case the normal marginal tax rate would apply. If a team wins an award, the prize money will be awarded in multiples of the individual award, capped at $10,000, to be shared equally among the team.
The financial prize awards for each category are:
| AUD | Category |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | Chancellor’s Medal for Research Excellence* |
| UTS Medal for Research Impact | |
| UTS Medal for Excellence in Research and Teaching Integration | |
| $3,000 | Supervisor of the Year Award* |
| Early Career Research Excellence Award* | |
| Research Leadership and Development Award* | |
| Research Translation Award | |
| Research Excellence through Collaboration Award | |
| Research Excellence through Partnership Award | |
| Research Management and Development Award (Professional Staff) |
* Individual award categories only
Questions relating to the awards should be emailed to researchawards@uts.edu.au