Research achievements
Latest figures show that the University of Sydney has been confirmed as Australia’s leading research university. Sydney researchers have been awarded more than $49 million by the Australian Research Centre (ARC) for 120 research projects commencing in 2007 – the largest amount awarded to any university in Australia. Of that total, Sydney has received $40.5 million for 97 new Discovery Grants commencing in 2007 – $5.4 million more than its nearest national competitor.
Over the years, The University of Sydney has consistently outperformed other Australian universities in the measure of research performance used by the Commonwealth Government to allocate funds under its block grants.
Attracting funding for research
The receipt of competitive grants based on peer review from peak funding agencies provides an important measure of the University's innovation, research achievements and infrastructure as well as the intrinsic quality of its research endeavour.
Every year since 2000, the University has received more funding in new grants from the Australian Research Council than any other Australian university.
Research activities generated $185 million for the University in 2005, while the total value of consultancy projects was over $4 million. In 2005 the University received only $110 million in DEST block grants based on research performance (against a budget of more than $1 billion), so Sydney invests in alternative revenue-generating strategies and initiatives. Income from private sources, including investment income, contributions from external organisations and commercial activities, represented $246.7 million in 2004.
The University of Sydney has 171 research centres and institutes
Technology transfer
In the most recent national survey of research commercialisation, the University of Sydney ranked first among Australian universities in regard to licenses, option and assignments executed, and in the number of start-up companies launched.
The University of Sydney spins off an average of six companies each year, compared with the average of just over two for US-based institutions. A total of 29 companies have been founded since 2001, and the University has equity in five more.
The survey also revealed that the University is in the top three Australian universities for invention disclosures, patent applications filed in the US and Australia, and the value of its equity holdings.
This level of performance is well above the average of Australian universities and approaches that of the highest performers in the US and UK.
