Melbourne Poised For Knowledge Capital Status

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19th August 2008, 10:18pm - Views: 1049





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Media Release

11 August 2008



 

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Melbourne poised for Knowledge Capital status

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Right time, right place for Knowledge to take off in Melbourne

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Climate right for Knowledge Melbourne

In the

wake of national and state reviews on higher education and innovation, The City of

Melbourne is poised to realise its vision to become Australia’s Knowledge Capital, and one of the

world’s leading university cities.

Governor

of Victoria, Professor David de Krester, A.C., today officially hosted the launch of

Melbourne’s Office of Knowledge Capital’ (OKC), established by a jointly funded collaboration

between the City of Melbourne, the eight major universities in the city region and the Committee for

Melbourne, as the vehicle responsible for putting Melbourne on the global knowledge map.

Acting Lord Mayor Gary Singer said the climate was right for Melbourne to begin providing a vital

link in promoting effective partnerships between universities, industry and the community. 

“In light of the Federal

Government’s current review on Higher Education and the National

Innovation review, we are extremely well placed having already established a strategic vehicle to

harness the globalisation of knowledge and skills.  Through the foundations laid by the Office of

Knowledge Capital initiative, Melbourne is poised to

leverage our nation’s development and

competitiveness in the higher education industry,” the Acting Lord Mayor said.

The OKC

participated in both the Higher Education and the National Innovation reviews by

providing submissions and being involved in the consultation processes.

Adding to the timeliness of the OKC launch, the Victorian Government is expected to release its

Innovation Statement 2008 today.

“The opportunities and challenges flowing from globalisation and the rapid expansion of the world’s

knowledge economies are combining to increase the importance of city-regions as focal points for

innovation and creativity”.


“They are becoming the clusters of economic and social development that harness these forces to

generate common wealth and sustainable communities,” the Acting Lord Mayor said.


Melbourne’s eight metropolitan universities generate

a combined revenue of more than $4 billion

annually and export earnings in excess of $2 billion. Employing a combined total of more than

22,500 and a student body of in excess of 260,000, they sit at the core of our knowledge economy.


In 2008 Melbourne ranked fourth in the Global University City Index, up from fifth place in the 2007

index. 

The Global University City Index was created by RMIT University in collaboration with the

Committee for Melbourne to highlight the world’s top knowledge economies.  The index assesses

cities on a range of measures including liveability, education expenditure, number of graduates

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and how many tertiary institutions are ranked in the top 200 Times Higher Education Supplement –

Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings.

The launch also welcomes the appointment of Executive Director of the office, David Campbell.

Office of Knowledge Capital -  background information:

The Melbourne Vice Chancellors’ Forum (MVCF), created by the Lord Mayor in 2005.  

The first project of the Forum was to undertake an investigative report ‘Melbourne Australia’s

Knowledge Capital’, released in August 2007. The report then formed the basis of the ‘Office of

Knowledge Capital’ (OKC) Strategic Plan 2008-2010. 

The Strategic Plan was adopted by the Melbourne City Council in December 2007.  The OKC has

since been established and will pursue three strategic objectives.


1.

Develop and promote Melbourne locally, nationally and globally to achieve recognition as

“Australia’s Knowledge Capital” and a “Global University City”;

2.

Facilitate collaboration between the Office of Knowledge Capital and governments,

businesses and other communities;

3.

Form links with similar ‘knowledge cities’ to enable mutually beneficial interactions


The ‘Office of Knowledge Capital’ as a jointly funded collaboration between the following

organisations: The City of Melbourne, Australian Catholic University, Deakin University, La Trobe

University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University, The University of

Melbourne, Victoria University and Committee for Melbourne.





For further information please contact:

OR

Phil Buckley

Paul Williams

Media Adviser, 

Lord Mayor’s Media Adviser

City of Melbourne

City of Melbourne

+61 3 9658 8426

+61 3 9658 9484

0409 425873

0411 235 434

phil.buckley@melbourne.vic.gov.au

pauwil@melbourne.vic.gov.au







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