Empowering Digital Research @ Melbourne
Leadership | Collaboration | Capacity Building | Data and Computing | Research Impact
The Digital Research Academic Convenorship (DRAC) encompasses strategic programs, infrastructure and initiatives at the University of Melbourne to enable, enhance, and empower digital research and compute capability, strategy and resources at UoM. DRAC is an outcome of Petascale Campus.
Digital disruption and the rising challenges posed by data-informed technologies and AI require us to think differently about how we support research and education, and the capacity for researchers to lead in a rapidly transforming world.
The DRAC span a broad range of collaborative initiatives and projects at different stages of development – from emerging concepts and bespoke infrastructure design to well-established University services or strategic priorities. We bring together stakeholders from Chancellery, COO and all Faculties, University providers as well as academics and research support staff. See who we work with.
The Convenorship team plays a crucial leadership role in facilitating this collaboration, serving as a link between these activities and stakeholders. The team serves as facilitators, focusing on strategic areas such as Digital Research Infrastructure and Services planning, Research Data Management , Research Software Engineering and Digital Research Capability.
The team also contribute to the University’s responses to strategic national digital consultations, national schemes and initiatives via NCRIS and related programs, and convene LIEF grant submissions.
The DRAC team are here to help you navigate this digital research ecosystem and advocate for the academic digital requirements you need to advance your research. We work with business units, research groups and academics to elevate the usefulness, reproducibility, and impact of research.
Additionally, we work with researchers and Faculties to bridge the gap between service use and maturity and to build capability in our growing digital research community. We do this through workshops, advice, advocacy and consultation, strategic planning and development, scoping and developing case studies and building expertise and engagement.
While guided by the overarching strategies and aims of Advancing Melbourne, we are specifically aligned with the goal of discovery, placing the University "at the leading edge of discovery, understanding and impact through research".
Moving towards the future
The initial Petascale Campus Initiative (PC) ran from 2018 to 2022 – a five-year plan to accelerate the University's capacity for data-intensive research. The work of Petascale Campus continues to move forward as the broader DRAC.
How we support researchers at Melbourne
- Strategies and advice to maximise research outputs and publications including NTROs such as websites, databases, software and datasets
- Guidance to help you find and use the digital infrastructure resources, tools and platforms available at UoM
- Optimising research impact through funding, IP and commercialisation
- Promoting best practice in research data management across project lifecycle
- Facilitating introductions, collaboration and alignment in the digital and data space
- Building awareness of and alignment to Faculty and University digital research strategies, policy and initiatives
Ultimately, we want to advance digital knowledge and skills, ensuring the University of Melbourne remains at the forefront of global digital research. Read more about our team and how we work.
Current DRAC priorities
Digital Research Capability
Elevating UoM’s digital and data-driven research capabilities through access to the right tools and resources, and the skills, expertise and support to use them – all part of a community that promotes leadership and champions best practice.
Research Software Engineering
Improving access, productivity, outcomes, and impact for RSE at UoM through a proposed RSE Central Platform that supports community building, increased employment security, and defined career paths.