about us
The Regional Futures Institute's work builds on a fifteen year focus by Southern Cross University into regional issues of contemporary significance to Australia. Its research and associated activities aim to promote greater interest in and awareness of the importance of regional Australia among the public, governments, business, universities, policy makers and the media.
The strategic role of the Regional Futures Institute is to:
- lead high quality innovative and proactive research for regional areas.
- connect industry, government and communities with the high calibre of cross disciplinary research available through Southern Cross University.
- foster ideas and ambitions to better regional Australia through research and applied knowledge.
- deliver solutions to the local region, which may be further applied to other regions within Australia and internationally.
- understand what industries and enterprises can thrive, be newly created, or can expand business from the region.
- bring international leaders in innovative thinking and research to the region for residence programs.
- become the central reservoir for all existing valuable data and provide an effective system for analysing, storing, promoting, updating and accessing all information for Southern Cross University and the region.
- recognise the opportunity for collaboration with other research entities nationally and internationally to the advantage of the research and regions.
- understand the importance of 'quality of place' and 'quality of life' as a significant factor in economic growth and prosperity.
- be truly innovative and creative in its research and problem solving, in fostering entrepreneurship, in its mentorship and training. The Regional Futures Institute believes that through creativity comes imagination which in turn fosters innovation. This innovation drives competitiveness from which more innovation stems.
Updated: 10 October 2011