Research

Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) results

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The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative is developed and managed by the Australian Research Council (ARC) as a major funder of public sector research. It assesses research quality within Australia's Higher education institutions using a combination of indicators and expert review by committees comprising experienced, internationally recognised experts. The ERA research quality and evaluation framework initiative has been operating triennially since 2008.

2018 saw us achieve our best-ever ratings in the Commonwealth Government’s periodic assessment of Australian research, with results demonstrating research rated as at/above/well above world standard in many areas including:

  • Mathematical Sciences (01) – well above world standard
  • Applied Mathematics (0102) – well above world standard
  • Environmental Sciences (05) – at world standard
  • Environmental Science & Management (0502) – at world standard
  • Biological Sciences (06) – at world standard
  • Zoology (0608) – at world standard
  • Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences (07) – above world standard
  • Agriculture, Land and Farm Management (0701) – above world standard
  • Horticultural Production (0706) – well above world standard
  • Information and Computing Sciences (08) – at world standard
  • Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing (0801) – at world standard
  • Engineering (09) – above world standard
  • Electrical Engineering (0906) – well above world standard
  • Mechanical Engineering (0913) – well above world standard
  • Medical & Health Sciences (11) – at world standard
  • Human Movement and Sports Science (1106) – at world standard
  • Nursing (1110) - above world standard
  • Public Health and Health Services (1117) – above world standard
  • Specialist Studies in Education (1303) – at world standard
  • Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (17) – well above world standard
  • Psychology (1701) – above world standard
  • Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences (1799) – well above world standard

Our dramatic leap in research performance has been underpinned by record investment in research facilities and personnel, innovative and engaged research strategy, and tremendous success in securing highly competitive national research grants.

The ratings are determined and moderated by committees of distinguished researchers, drawn from Australia and overseas. Ratings are administered along a scale of one to five, with five being classified as 'well above world standard'.

The Excellence in Research for Australia website contains relevant and up-to-date information about the ERA Initiative including the Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) Field of Research (FoR) codes which were developed in 2008. In 2020 the FoR codes were revised and updated to accommodate changes to the discipline areas which have evolved since the last release in 2008. The new 2020 FoR codes can be found on the ARC website.