Members of the ITPs annual research conference committee at EIT:
Professor Leoni Schmidt, Director: Research and Postgraduate, Otago Polytechnic; Research Professor David Tipene-Leach, EIT; Lesley Brook, Portfolio Assistant, Otago Polytechnic; Research Professor, Kay Morris Matthews, EIT; Associate Professor Jonathan Sibley, Director Research and Innovation, EIT.

EIT and Otago Polytechnic are combining forces to demonstrate that regional tertiary organisations such as theirs have a significant role to play in research in New Zealand.

The two are co-hosting the Institutes of Technologies and Polytechnics (ITPs) two-day research conference in Hawke’s Bay in April. Researchers and ITP staff from around the country will attend. It will also be open to the public at no cost.

Themed Whānaungatanga, the focus will be on showcasing the richness of community-centred research carried out through the ITP sector. Researchers from around the country are being invited to submit “out of the box” papers and presentations for selection consideration.

“We want to demonstrate that ITPs play an important role in ensuring that research has a tangible impact on and benefit for the community,” says Jonathan Sibley, head of EIT’s recently launched Research and Innovation Centre that is spearheading the conference on behalf of EIT.

“We also want to share innovative methods of teaching and research,” he says.

It is expected there will be a strong indigenous perspective and an exhibition showcasing art from students of Toihoukura, School of Māori Visual Arts based at EIT’s Tairāwhiti, Gisborne campus.

In a first, EIT is currently chair of the ITPs research group and this is also the first time the annual research conference has been held in Hawke’s Bay.

The organising team from Dunedin and Hawke’s Bay is planning on three key note speakers, with one invitation sent offshore awaiting a reply.

“We will be showcasing research work in the broadest sense, demonstrating the real impact knowledge creation has for communities, as well as how this contributes to the wider field.

With our theme of community-centred research we ensure our work is relevant and connected to real issues that face our region,” says Professor Nat Waran, One Welfare chair and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science at EIT.

Waran is behind the establishment of the EIT Research and Innovation Centre.

“We want to develop our research culture and capability across EIT to provide a stronger focus on supporting more interdisciplinary approaches. Our aim is to reduce the silo effect seen within individual disciplines that has been prevalent in the past.

“It’s also essential that our research and innovation endeavours have tangible benefits for our communities.”

For more information or to submit your abstract, visit the ITP Research symposium website.