Current Projects

Research

Research

Current Projects

Scholarship Opportunities

Developing New Regional Agendas

Home		Research		Consultancy		Education and Training		Partners and Connections		Staff

Current Projects

Current projects that involve CRIC researchers are in the areas of Sustainable Tourism, Clustering, Action Research, Enterprise Development, Connectivity, and Agricultural and Horticulture business marketing. CRIC is breaking new ground in the field of regional innovation and competitiveness, particularly with a specific focus on the use of clustering at a regional level. Some of our projects are summarised below.

For further information, please contact the individual researchers.

Solar Cities - Evaluating Changes to Energy Consumption

Chief Investigators: Dr Steven McEachern & Prof. Julian Lowe

The Solar Cities project will recruit at least 2500 households and 100 business across the Loddon Mallee and Grampians regions and monitor changes to their energy consumption over a period of 7 years (until 2013) through the installation of solar hot water, photovoltaic cells, together with demand and behaviour change.

The data to be collected for both residential and commercial premises will be used to not only measure the behaviour changes that result from technical, educational and economic measures, but more importantly can identify how these specific measures affect overall changes in the demand for power, and which combinations of measures achieve targeted demand reductions.

MySmartGreen: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Greening Small Business

Chief Investigators: Dr Patrice Braun & Prof. Julian Lowe

This is an AusIndustry project in collaboration with the National Centre for Sustainability to develop a comprehensive program of entrepreneurial training and mentoring to increase supply-side capability. Through a process of auditing and training of demand-side businesses the program also identifies and increases the demand for these services. The program then clusters available expertise, information and learning in the MySmartGreen^tm portal to provide access to environmental products and services and encourage small businesses across the region to become part of a recognised Green Cluster Code of Practice.

As part of this project CRIC undertook a survey of Ballarat environmental industries to assess demand and interest to undertake a training and mentoring program. Such training will incorporate general sustainability and environmental audit information, business planning, how to import/export, collaborate with other green businesses, expand customer base and marketing.

Development of a Multi-University Collaborative Survey Research Facility

Chief Investigators:Dr Steven McEachern & Prof. Julian Lowe

This is an ARC-LIEF (Infrastructure) project to establish computer assisted telephone and personal interviewing facilities at the University of Ballarat. This facility is one component (in conjunction with Deakin University) in establishing a statewide - and eventually national - survey research facility (the Australian Survey Research Infrastructure Network) that enables academics throughout Victoria to undertake survey research that is efficient but achieves world best practice technical standards.

Developing a Benchmark Measure of Social Capital: A Pilot Study of the Ballarat community

Chief Investigator: Dr Steven McEachern

Social capital, the ‘features of social organization, such as networks, norms and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit’ (Putnam, 1995: 67) is regarded as a major resource for improving a variety of social outcomes. However, measurement of social capital is subject to much conjecture, and there is no universally recognised tool for measure levels of social capital in Australian communities. The aim of this research is to adapt and pilot test a benchmark survey for measuring levels of social capital in Victorian communities.

Growth and Decline Rejuvenating and Sustaining Regional and Rural Communities

Researcher: Helen Thompson, Manager Centre for Electronic Commerce & Communications

Why do some regional and rural communities thrive whilst others decline? This study is examining models of economic and social development and exploring the scope for private and public initiatives that may influence growth. More specifically the benefits that regional and rural communities can secure through community informatics initiatives is being examined.

Effects of Dislocation of the Dominant Player on Functioning Within a Fine Arts Cluster

Researcher: PhD Scholar, Deidre Giblin

Closure of the National Gallery of Victoria for renovation, and as a consequence scaled down operations for a period of three-four years (1999- 2003) before reopening, provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of dislocation of the dominant player have on the way the fine arts cluster in Victoria operates.

Beyond Startup: SME Growth Through Replication

Researcher: PhD Scholar, Sam Henson

Much has been written about the growth of the small firm. Yet, very little of this research addresses the issues of small firms in regional and rural areas. The researchers aim is to determine the critical resources and capabilities that contribute to the growth of the firm and secondly, whether these resources differ over the life of the firm.

Site Map Contact Us Disclaimer