Uniwater

• Monash University
• The University of Melbourne

“ Marshal the foremost thinking from relevant disciplines to help Australia adapt to a more challenging future and achieve a sustainable balance between water, environment and society.” — Prof. John Langford

Uniwater

Uniwater Launch Party

In 2003 the Melbourne Water Research Centre (MWRC) was established as a new initiative of the University of Melbourne funded by the University and eight participating Faculties, namely:

• Arts
• Economics and Commerce
• Engineering
• Land and Food Resources
• Law
• Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science
• Science, and
• Veterinary Science

In 2007, under the Melbourne-Monash Protocol, the University of Melbourne and Monash University agreed to combine the Melbourne Water Research Centre with Monash Water under the directorship of Professor John Langford; creating a joint initiative called "Uniwater".

Uniwater is a small unit, acting as an incubator/hub for research activities in water, with an emphasis on complex, inter-disciplinary activities. Apart from initiating, designing and winning funding for new research in water, Uniwater will play a strong role in knowledge transfer; bringing knowledge, insight and understanding together in trusted and independent forums involving a range of interested stakeholders. The aim of these forums will be to create an active exchange of ideas and responses.

Activities

Uniwater activities will be directed to four key water challenges, in a context of climate change and increased competition:

• Developing effective water policies and institutions for 21st century, including planning, governance, accounting, regulation, markets and services; and ensuring the necessary reforms in a federation.
• Maximising the environmental return on investment in repair of rivers, groundwater and catchments.
• Realising the potential of irrigated and dryland agriculture using less water, and having regard to effective: economic performance, environmental impact, resource use efficiency, and social support.
• Providing reliable water supplied to Australia's growing cities in sustainable ways.

The activities will be outcome-focused, delivering against the four challenges outlined above. Activities will fall within three categories, namely.

Research Incubator:

• Identify research with the highest potential to make a difference
• Design cutting edge inter-disciplinary research projects
• Broker funding and manage complex projects
• Synthesise and communicate high level findings
• Develop state-of-the-art assessments of knowledge and critical gaps

Institutional Strengthening:

• Provide support to research groups across the University to build capacity in water research, for example, through single discipline research contracts

Knowledge Transfer:

• Build and maintain strategic connections within and external to the University
• Provide an independent and trusted forum for critical review and informed debate
• Stimulate new and creative approaches to water by preparing clear thought pieces on: the nature and scale of the challenges faced; new ideas about technology and social organisation to support beneficial change; the linkages between water and other resource/sustainability challenges and candidate solutions; high priority areas for fundamental research.

Existing Strengths

Key to success of Uniwater is the appointment of a Director with standing and extensive networks in water issues both nationally and internationally. Professor John Langford is the founding Director of the Melbourne Water Research Centre. He has had a 35-year career in the Australian water industry, serving as Chief Executive of the Rural Water Commission from 1989 to 1994. From 1994 to 2003 he was the inaugural Executive Director of the Water Services Association of Australia. John is a Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and a Fellow, Institution of Engineers, Australia. He was recipient of a Churchill Fellowship in 1973, the Peter Hughes award for contribution to Australian water management in 2000, a Centenary Medal, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2005.

Both Monash University and the University of Melbourne bring substantial and complementary expertise in water research, and this is not to underplay the significant contribution that is made possible in the future by the universities' broader commitment to scholarship. Uniwater provides a vehicle for development of the complementary strengths of both universities, and to achieve the required scale for larger projects by combining their research capacities

International linkages at the University of Melbourne include the Australia-China Centre on Water Resources Research, also directed by Professor John Langford, and Universitas21.