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Proposal for

MONASH Africa Research Institute (MARI)

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Why MONASH Africa Research Institute?

• No existing African Research Centre in Australia

• Growing importance of links with Africa – trade and migration

• Opportunity to build Monash research profile in Africa

• Opportunity to improve links with MSA and other universities in Africa

• Opportunity for Monash to lead closer collaboration with Africa and contribute to African development goals

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MARI’s Mission:

To promote and support research in Africa by Australian researchers, focusing on research and links in South Africa but also including research in other parts of Sub-Saharan Africa

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How?

• Australian hub, led by prominent scholar to provide academic leadership, coordinate and facilitate postgraduate research

• Australian-based Executive Office with officer to fund-raise; liaise with business, government and community; oversee external linkages

• African-based node at MSA with academic director to coordinate teaching and research in African Studies at MSA and liaise with Australian hub

• Eventual transfer of MARI hub to MSA

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Key research areas:

• Economic development• Public policy• Governance• Linguistics• Medicine• Public Health• Water Policy• Climate Change• Migration• History• Anthropology• Ethnography of language, language contact

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Teaching initiatives

• Foster research-led coursework units in African Studies, both in Africa and Australia

• Key links with BA (Global) and student mobility in general

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Research Training

MARI to serve as Virtual Graduate School to coordinate postgraduate research study across Australia and, as technology improves, in Africa

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Funding

Seed funding from DVC(I) for Executive Director to seek external corporate and federal funding to fund ongoing Professor, administrative staff, HDR scholarships and research fellowships

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Outcomes

• International research linkages/funding• Increased HDRs• Internationalised curriculum and curriculum

exchange between MSA and Australia (in both directions)

• Increased profile for Monash research in Africa and elsewhere

• Increased impact of Monash research on policy development in Australia and Africa