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Strategic development funds continuing to support wider system development
The e-Learning Collaborative Development Fund (e-LCDF) and Innovation and Development Fund (IDF) are used to assist in building the strategic capability of the tertiary education system. The funds make available a total of $17 million per annum for four years, comprising $7 million for e-LCDF and $10 million for IDF. The e-LCDF builds the e-learning capability of the system through information and communication tools and knowledge that will support TEOs' ability to deliver e-learning education programmes. The IDF builds capability within the system to improve alignment with national goals. The IDF aims to foster new and innovative ideas and develop TEOs' capability to improve the operation of the tertiary education system, and to help TEOs align with and deliver on the TES and national goals. The first funding rounds for both these funds resulted in 15 projects for the e-LCDF and nine projects for the IDF.
Partnerships for Excellence was established by government in 2002 and enables the Crown to make significant new investments in the public tertiary education sector in line with the TES and the STEP, provided there is matching private sector investment. The fund enables tertiary institutions to seek matching funding from government for large-scale investment projects (generally those valued at $10 million or more).
Two rounds of funding have been allocated, resulting in four very different projects being supported:
- Otago University’s ‘Leading Thinkers’ advancement programme, which involves recruiting internationally renowned academics to head up new ‘knowledge leader’ projects
- development of a new business school at the University of Auckland
- a new Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology at the University of Auckland aimed at turning research ideas into business propositions
- Auckland University’s Starpath project, an innovative programme to encourage students to enrol in tertiary studies.
Collaborating for Efficiency
A collaborative project undertaken by four university libraries exemplifies the co-operation and collaboration theme that runs through the TES.
Auckland University of Technology (AUT), the University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington and the University of Otago established the CONZULSys consortium with the vision of developing and using “the best enabling technologies in a pioneering collaboration which will enhance the innovative delivery of library and information resources to the New Zealand tertiary learning and research community”.
The goals of the co-operative approach were to strengthen resources by working together, achieve pricing and cost-control benefits through being part of a larger group, and manage risk better by acting collectively.
The partners recognised that they were working towards a long-term goal and savings would not be immediately apparent. The major benefits expected from this approach were inter-operability among library systems, reduced maintenance of interfaces, better knowledge by systems staff and better use of that knowledge, better service to users at other universities, and improved disaster recovery.
The success of the implementation of this project was based on the development of complete trust between the personnel in the four universities and trust in the co-ordination and planning role of CONZULSys.
A commitment by all partners to creating a working solution was a necessary condition for the success of a complex project that involved four universities and two suppliers that were working in two countries in three time zones. |
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