Our focus

Our task in this fourth decade of the University is to complement our outstanding record in teaching and learning with an equally impressive record in transformative research. Every university breathes with two lungs: teaching and research. Our teaching and learning needs to be enriched by high quality research and scholarship. And our commitment to predicate our teaching and learning on serving the common good will necessitate an equally strong obligation to undertake research which speaks to real world issues and challenges, such as those prevalent in health and education, and social inequality that persists for some communities globally. Our ambition for 2026 and beyond is to further enhance our impact for the common good in society by strengthening our research position, and to be as renowned for research as we are for teaching.

The placement of research at the core of the University Strategic Plan acknowledges its fundamental importance not only to our standing as an Australian university, but to the fulfilment of our Objects and implementation of the idea of a Catholic university. A Catholic university will always challenge the view that research is worthwhile only when it results in technological innovation, commercial gain, and other commonly accepted metrics. Research can make a difference in the lives of people and society when ideas genuinely change the outlook of people, touching their hearts and minds. Our research will cross disciplinary boundaries as we collaborate with each other within the University and beyond. Above all, our research will serve the integral human development that is fundamental to all our work as a university.

Transformative research, for Notre Dame, means that research can transform lives and communities including the professions and industries where we work. Fundamentally it concerns how research can contribute to the common good by positively affecting individuals living in societies to solve challenges within our world. Thus, a major focus of our research, whether in the social sciences, humanities or the sciences and technology, is that it needs to transform human lives, sustain human dignity and impact society for the common good.

Research must solve real world problems to stay relevant and contribute to the common good. Notre Dame’s Transformative Research will be action-oriented towards positive impact while never forgetting the need for foundational research in the pursuit of new knowledge. Working with industry and community, we will broaden our innovation and translational impact, by striving to deliver high-quality, world-leading research which addresses local and global challenges. We will advance knowledge to help individuals, families, institutions, and society. We will do this by researching mission-aligned challenges for the common good and impact – social, economic, environmental and cultural. We will focus on research aligned to our areas of strength and where we can make the biggest difference. Our social and research partners will challenge us to be increasingly creative as we pursue research that serves humanity.