UQ hosts major international university forum

Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Robin Batterham will address a major international forum on commercialising university research at The University of Queensland on Tuesday, April 27, 2004.

The forum, “Funding for Research and Commercialisation of Intellectual Property (IP) in Universities”, is part of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of prestigious international higher education consortium, Universitas 21 (U21).

Thirty-five delegates representing 17 universities from nine countries will gather at The University of Queensland for the AGM from April 26-27. The host of the U21 AGM is UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor John Hay, AC, who is the current chair of the organisation.

Other U21 members include The University of British Columbia, The University of Glasgow, Lund University Sweden, The National University of Singapore, and from Australia, the Universities of Queensland, Melbourne and New South Wales.

Professor Hay said the meeting would bring together university leaders from around the world who shared a commitment to international collaboration in teaching, research and commercialisation.

“The AGM and forum are opportunities for the U21 leadership to advance the organisation’s goal of developing collaboration and co-operation between member universities, and to create global entrepreneurial opportunities,” Professor Hay said.

The forum will also be addressed by Professor Michael Sterling, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, Dr Martha Piper, President of the University of British Columbia and Professor John Spinks, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic and Student Affairs), University of Hong Kong.

U21 is an international network of leading research-intensive universities. Its aim is to facilitate collaboration and cooperation and create entrepreneurial opportunities between member universities.

Established in 1997, its member universities enrol about 500,000 students, employ around 40,000 academics and researchers and have more than two million alumni.

Media: For more information, contact Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 3374 or email: s.glaister@uq.edu.au).