Seven multidisciplinary nodes join Sydney Policy Lab
“We are excited to welcome the Lab’s first cohort of nodes. Each of the seven nodes stands to make an important contribution to community-centred policy and practice,” says Sydney Policy Lab Director Dr Kate Harrison Brennan.
Nodes are designed to nurture the connections that lead to breakthroughs, complementing the Lab’s existing portfolio of research projects and collaborations.
These nodes take impact-oriented approaches to issues at the top of the policy agenda, from health, education, justice and innovation to the policymaking process itself.
Each node is convened by two or more University of Sydney researchers who are joined by early- and mid-career researchers as founding members. The successful nodes receive Lab support and seed funding, enabling members to share existing work, create space for collaboration and nurture future full-scale research projects.
“The Lab is looking forward to supporting these leading researchers to maximise the potential for impact in their research and collaborations,” says Dr Harrison Brennan. “Together, they represent a cross-section of the expertise at the University of Sydney.”
Researchers, policymakers and community members are encouraged to explore the list of successful nodes and get involved by connecting with node convenors.
The Sydney Policy Lab is grateful for the large number of high-quality expressions of interest received from across the University. A further round of expressions of interest to establish nodes will take place in 2025.
Sydney Policy Lab 2024 nodes
Adaptive policy systems
In direct contrast to conventional approaches to policy development, which involve sequential phases of research, implementation and evaluation, this joint node with the Charles Perkins Centre explores the use of adaptive design principles in policy.
We take inspiration from complex adaptive systems theory to evolve policies towards optimal outcomes in real time, using feedback derived from publicly available big data. The principles of complex adaptive design come from biology – notably evolutionary biology, development and neural networks – and are now widely implemented in AI. With the advent of big data recorded constantly and in real time by commercial actors, there is now the opportunity to apply adaptive design principles in policy.
Convenors:
Harnessing arts and cultural practices to transform health and care
Arts and cultural practice strongly benefit health and wellbeing with the World Health Organisation now leading collaborations to address health inequity and social determinants of health through the arts.
In Australia, however, there is limited policy development integrating arts and culture with health and wellbeing, either at local and practice levels or state and federally. This node brings together researchers, policymakers and artist practitioners to move beyond current barriers and provide innovations in arts and health policy.
Convenors:
Innovation and commercialisation
Australian industrial policy is shifting dramatically toward strategic interventions. The National Reconstruction Fund and recent Future Made in Australia Act signal a mission-driven approach to transforming Australia’s resource- and commodity-based economy into one fuelled by targeted innovation in areas of national priority.
With multi-billion dollar stimulation programs and major public investments in place, universities play a central role in advancing innovation and research commercialisation to meet this agenda.
Bringing together experts in innovation, public policy, academic entrepreneurs, industry partners and venture capitalists, the node provides a platform for this community to engage, contribute to public discourse and drive research toward improving policies which stand to accelerate university research commercialisation.
Convenors:
International education
After decades of relatively settled policy, Australian international education is increasingly subject to political contest.
The new policy environment calls for genuine consultation and understanding with shared strategic approaches among international education stakeholders. This node is a forum for such consultation, seeding scholarly and impact-focused interventions through a stakeholder-inclusive model.
The international education policy node’s extended network includes community sector representatives, researchers and teachers, and tertiary providers including universities, English language, TAFE and vocational education institutions.
Convenors:
Justice collaboration
The Justice Collaboration focuses on justice-related issues and improving outcomes for people interacting with the criminal justice system. Concerns about youth crime are leading to quick-fix policies and laws across the country. Despite Closing the Gap targets, the incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is increasing. We believe better outcomes can be achieved for all involved in the system through interdisciplinary collaboration, broad engagement with industry and community-led work. There are many mutually beneficial opportunities that will support and improve criminal justice policy, including student-led projects, engaged research, and joint training and education.
Convenors:
Social policy and the root causes of health inequality
This node focuses on developing community-centred social policy solutions to inequalities in health outcomes by addressing the root causes of socio-economic inequality.
Australia has seen dramatic improvements in health over the last century, but over recent decades inequality of health outcomes has grown across the socio-economic spectrum.
While the discipline of public health is tasked with protecting, promoting and improving the health of the population, the instruments currently at its disposal are inadequate to modify the structural drivers of inequality. By learning from communities and bridging the gap between public health and other disciplines, this node works to shift the dial on inequality.
Convenors:
Wellbeing of teachers and leaders in schools
The wellbeing of teachers and leaders in schools directly impacts educators’ ability to teach and lead effectively, and their decision to remain in the profession. By addressing this issue, we aim to tackle the national teacher shortage, elevate the status of the teaching profession, and enhance the quality of the education system.
Bringing together researchers, teachers, school leaders and community members, this node co-creates, implements and evaluates policy that can improve the wellbeing of educators in Australian schools.
Convenors: