BVA student and early career researcher report

BVA Student and ECR Experience Report 2015 1

Evaluation of the BVA Consortium’s contribution to medical bionics capacity development 2010-2014

Review conducted by Rosemary Hooke of UniBusiness Consulting

Report prepared by Rosemary Hooke and Georgia Giannakis, PhD

November 2015


ForwardOne of the most important original objectives of the Bionic Vision Australia program was training the next generation of researchers in the field of medical bionics. We have not only attracted high quality postgraduate students and Early Career Researchers but we have been able to provide training and development.

While our research program has benefited from their insight and energy, their experience of working in such a multi-disciplinary environment, as well as the training they have received in areas as diverse as intellectual property (IP) management and media interaction, will be invaluable in their future careers. This has been especially gratifying and will be amongst the most enduring legacies of Bionic Vision Australia (BVA).

We recently received an email from one of our PhD graduates who has joined Cochlear Ltd, the company that has laid the foundation for the application of implant technology, to address vision impairment through retinal implants.

As well as describing her interesting and challenging role at Cochlear, the graduate noted:

“My PhD has helped me with my project management skills, as well as experience with collaboration with many culturally and intellectually diverse colleagues.”

Comments such as this are extremely heartening and there are many more wonderful quotes from our young people in this review of BVA’s contribution to medical bionics capacity development. We set out to independently evaluate whether we have achieved our goals in capacity development, and I believe it is clear from this report that we have.

This cohort of researchers have been led and supported by a group of senior researchers, all leaders in their fields, and I would like to acknowledge the part they and their organisations played in the supervision, mentoring and development of BVA’s students and early career researchers (ECR).

The success of many of our ECRs with obtaining research grants and securing employment in industry and academia is a testament to the training and experiences they have had during their time within the BVA Consortium.

Professor Anthony N. Burkitt, BSc(Hons) PhD

Director, Bionic Vision Australia

Chair of Bio-Signals and Bio-Systems

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne


BVA Student and ECR Experience Report 2015 3BVA Student and ECR Experience Report 2015 3

ContentsForward 2

Abbreviations 4

Executive summary 5

Introduction 6

Methodology 7

The cohorts 7

The survey 7

A snapshot of the respondents 8

Scholarships and fellowships 9

Results 10

Student and ECR motivation to join BVA 10

Research and career skills training 11

Value of what was offered 13

Other training opportunities 13

Measures of achievement 14

Student and ECR engagement with the project 16

ECRs and their supervisors 16

Students and their supervisors 17

Career development and potential career paths 18

Students 18

ECRs 18

Former BVA students and ECRs 19

Conclusion, further discussion, recommendations 20

Conclusion: Building sustainable medical bionics profession 20

Moving forward 20

What could have been done differently? 21

Acknowledgements 22

Appendices 23

Appendix 1: Detailed summary of training programs offered by BVA 24

Appendix 2: Survey 27

Appendix 3: Follow-up interviews 30

Appendix 4: Follow-up interviews – case study 31


Abbreviations

ARC Australian Research Council

BVA Bionic Vision Australia

CERA Centre for Eye Research Australia

CRC Cooperative Research Centre

DECRA Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (ARC)

ECR Early Career Researcher (less than five years since postgraduate study completion)

IP Intellectual Property

KPI Key Performance Indicator

MB Medical Bionics

NICTA National ICT Australia

PhD Doctor of Philosophy degree

PG Postgraduate

QMS Quality Management System

RP Retinitis Pigmentosa

SRI Special Research Initiative (ARC)

UoM University of Melbourne

U/G Undergraduate

UNSW University of New South Wales

UROP Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program



In the five years since being awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) Special Research Initiative grant, BVA has successfully achieved its main goals towards developing retinal prostheses for individuals with severe vision loss due to conditions such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). This is an outstanding achievement in the period of time and the quantum of funding received.

In its initial proposal to the ARC in 2009, BVA also addressed the importance of training postgraduate students (PG) and to support, develop and promote ECRs with a view to creating the next generation of medical bionics professionals. These individuals will ultimately be empowered to continue to pursue new cutting edge research and development projects with the potential to benefit the community in Australia and internationally. To evaluate BVA’s contribution to capacity building through supporting and training of PG students and ECRs during the period 2010 – 2014, an independent review was commissioned in Q3 2014. The overall aim was to evaluate the value of the training and experiences provided to BVA’s young engineers and scientists who will form the next generation of medical bionics experts. This report presents findings from current and former BVA PG students and ECRs.

Key findings include:

1. A significant advantage of working within BVA was the Consortium structure itself. The structure and organisation of BVA enabled individuals to work openly and collaboratively within and between departments and institutions from the outset. Establishing the numerous links and free exchange of ideas and learnings is time consuming and difficult to establish and maintain. Most significant was the openness to authentically share the outcomes to drive the research project forward aiding both individuals’ professional development and the determination to achieve the main project goal. As a result, BVA developed a proof-of-concept retinal implant that has paved the way for a strong device pipeline with potential for market release.

2. BVA’s researchers regard themselves as competent, able to apply and to adapt to research management challenges within and outside the medical bionics sector. Young researchers were exposed to and learned from other Consortium members within their own and across different disciplines. It was found that exposure to both general and specialised training helped to build their skillset to move

forward with their work at BVA and for those who left; in their next endeavours away from BVA. The collaborative ethos, development workshops and conference exposure nurtured confidence and characteristics that served individuals when exploring and entering into their next role.

3. Individuals engaged in the many facets of the BVA project are highly adaptable. This has been demonstrated by those moving on from BVA to roles in both industry and academia. Stability and security is highly desirable in any role within the work force. In grant funded research and development areas of employment there is a traditional movement to more secure and well remunerated occupations. These individuals cannot be easily replaced without considerable investment.

The current generation of medical bionic experts have supervised, mentored and guided the next generation within BVA. The emerging young researchers are now equipped to forge the way for another wave of medical bionics researchers and developers to continue to make significant advances in the medical bionics field and for the greater community.

Executive summary


The grant funded a program of activities to support the development of a functional retinal implant or bionic eye. BVA was formed as a Consortium of five member organisations: The University of Melbourne, University of New South Wales, the Bionics Institute, Centre for Eye Research Australia, and NICTA, along with three supporting organisations; initially the Australian National University then the National Vision Research Institute, University of Western Sydney, and later the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

BVA has employed 59 ECRs (less than five years post PhD completion) during the funding period and at its inception, the Consortium also allocated funds for a number of PhD and Masters Students within the research program. In its 2009 proposal to the ARC, BVA expressed a fundamental value of the Consortium:

“These students will benefit from the opportunity to work on a world-class device development project, as well as experiencing truly multi-disciplinary research from the very start of their research careers. They will have the opportunity to undertake exchanges with other labs within the BVA team, and will participate in local and international conferences on bionic eye technology.”

In addition to undertaking highly innovative and internationally competitive research through a pioneering research and development program, BVA set a series of objectives for the development of its PG students and ECRs. These included:

• Todevelopthenextgenerationofmedical bionics experts through programs for PG students and ECRs,

• Toprovideaseriesofoutreachactivities for PG students, ECRs and the community, and

• Toadvanceandcommercialise bionic vision technology, to further nurture Australia’s position as a leader in the field of medical bionics.

In approaching the conclusion of the five year funding period, BVA conducted a review to explore to what extent BVA has achieved its training and development goals. This has implications for capacity development within the medical bionics and medical device industry in Australia.

A central focus of this examination was on how BVA-sponsored skills and knowledge programs from 2010 to 2014 were felt to add value to the research skills and professional development of PG students and ECRs, and how did the Consortium structure benefit these young researchers.

IntroductionIn 2010 BVA was awarded funding from the Commonwealth through the ARC Special Research Initiative in Bionic Vision Science and Technology.


The aim was to draw out key findings and to generate some reflective recommendations that could serve for future planning moving forward for BVA and other similar ARC-funded discovery research Consortiums (SRIs, CRCs).

The cohorts

Participants were grouped into one of three cohorts (as at October 2014):

a) Current PhD and Masters students – including students who had commenced their degrees elsewhere and moved into the Consortium with existing funding, and students who commenced their degree with BVA,

b) Current Early Career Researchers – including ECRs who had commenced their role and then moved into the Consortium, and those who commenced work directly in BVA, and

c) Students and ECRs who have left BVA.

The survey

An online questionnaire, designed in Survey Monkey, was tailored for each group and distributed via email to participants. This was followed by two email reminders and the survey was closed after two weeks. The review period was scheduled taking into consideration the best window

of opportunity in the academic year for good access to students and ECRs, before some program activities scaled down toward the year’s end.

The survey was grouped into sections covering participants’:

• PathtoandconnectionwithBVA,

• Accesstoresearchandcareer skills training,

• Hostinstitution’sandother-disciplinary connections with BVA, and

• Feelingsabouttheirpreparedness for independent career advancement within medical bionics or another field.

The surveys were designed to give adequate scope and opportunity for open ended responses to questions and also to encourage respondents to relay their own views and experiences (Appendix 2).

Respondents were given the choice of anonymity, or to provide contact details for a potential one to one follow-up interview. Direct interviews were subsequently conducted with the respondents, forming the case studies (Appendix 3 and 4).

MethodologyTo review the extent to which BVA has achieved its training and development goals leading to capacity development within the medical bionics and medical device industry in Australia, an external independent consultant was engaged to undertake a review of the postgraduate student and ECR training experience at BVA.

This investigation asked the following questions:

1. How effective has BVA been in developing the next generation of researchers (in medical bionics)?

2. Has BVA achieved their set goal to train researchers?

3. Has BVA added value to the PG student experience?

4. How integrated were the BVA training opportunities within the PG student’s and ECRs home institution?

5. How do the PG students and ECRs rate their training experience within BVA?


Between 2010 and 2014 BVA had supported and supervised:

• 51Postgraduatestudents,and

• 59Earlycareerresearchers.

A total of 91 individuals were contacted and invited to respond to the survey. From this we had an overall response rate of 56% (Table 1). There were 14 individuals who had left and could not be contacted.

The student cohort was predominately aged between 20-30 years of age, whilst the ECRs were mostly a little older, between 31-35 years of age (Figure 1). The gender balance of the all the respondents was 66% men and 34% women (Figure 2). This distribution was similar for each of the three cohorts; students, ECRs and former BVA ECRs and students.

Of the students who undertook their postgraduate studies within BVA, 18 (approximately one third of the group) stayed on and continued working in BVA employed as ECRs and transitioned onto the next stage in their professional development (Table 2). BVA was able to foster and support these individuals in their field of work and that ultimately served to provide beneficial outcomes for participants and the Consortium; in effect building capacity within BVA. It was a significant advantage for BVA to retain and utilise individual expertise, this facilitated progress of the research and development culminating in the creation of retinal implants.

A snapshot of the respondents

BVA was successful in attracting high quality postgraduate students and ECRs to work on its cutting edge project and endeavour to develop a bionic eye (exceeding the numbers set in its ARC KPI).

Figure 1: Age range of current students and ECRs surveyed, September/October 2014

Table 1: Number of students and ECRs 2010-2014

Total Number Number of Response Survey Cohort BVA canvassed Responses rate (%)

PhD and Masters students 51 21 14 66

ECRs 59 37 22 59

Formerly with BVA (as many as could be located) N/A 33 15 45

“I was lucky, I submitted my PhD thesis in 2010 when BVA started, and there were 2 ECR positions available. My PhD skills involved solving differential equations needed by the particular research group … I had been associated with a pre-BVA stage in 2008 in Medical Bionics – and didn’t believe it would really happen – but did! Medical Bionics meant doing good for people.”

Figure 2: Gender distribution encompassing the three cohorts surveyed, September/October 2014

Male

Female 34%

66%

ECR

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

41+

36-40

31-35

26-30

20-25

47.6%

23.8%

19.0%

4.8%

4.8%

Students

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

41+

36-40

31-35

26-30

20-25

21.9%

42.9%

28.6%

7.1%

0.0%


Table 2: Distribution of Students and ECRs within the BVA Consortium

*ECR numbers include students who were subsequently employed at BVA.

Students completed Institution Student and employed as ECR ECR*

Bionics Institute 5 2 9

Centre for Eye Research Australia 5 1 4

NICTA – Canberra Labs 7 0 7

National Vision Research Institute 5 2 3

University of New South Wales – Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering 17 6 12

University of Melbourne – Department of Anatomy 1 0 0

University of Melbourne – School of Physics 3 2 9

University of Melbourne – Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering 8 5 13

University of Western Sydney – School of Medicine 0 0 2

Scholarships and fellowships

More than half of the students canvassed commenced their postgraduate studies at BVA with a scholarship awarded from their administering institution or other external organisation, e.g., philanthropic or research foundation grant. Where students commenced without a scholarship, they were able to secure funding after they commenced at BVA. Students within the Consortium were given further support on top of their scholarships including when their candidature was extended, to enable them to complete their work. Overall the students and ECRs felt they had received appropriate support whist at BVA. Around one third of the ECRs surveyed started with BVA with external research funding. Of the remaining personnel, around 35% were able to subsequently secure funding through government grants and philanthropic foundation funding.

“The light bulb moment was gradual as I was purely in engineering initially. I was mystified by the language encountered in meetings at the hospital. But about a year later, I became familiarised and “got it” and saw the feedback loop.”


Student and ECR motivation to join BVA

Altruism was a clear trait of the individuals who joined the BVA project. Their involvement had very much to do with ambition to pursue the project goal of developing a bionic eye that would return a sense of sight to the vision impaired. Postgraduate students strongly indicated a desire to help make a significant difference to the vision impaired, while ECRs were drawn by the project as a whole and the opportunity to develop a product that improves vision impaired individuals’ quality of life.

This response is recognition of the great significance of the task at hand and the reputation and expertise of the principal investigators within the Consortium (Figure 3).

Other reasons included:

• “Interestandambitionontranslational bionic/neural interface research” (Student),

• “Wanttomakeacontributiontoorientation and mobility research” (Student),

• “Passionforvisualprostheses”(Student), and a

• “Generalinterestintherapeuticstrategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions” (ECR).

Results

Figure 3: Reasons for studying or working with BVA. (Not captured for former BVA group)

“I thought I’d like to be a neurosurgeon. Loved Biology at school but started with a Software Engineering degree, then a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. So I’ve come full circle to the neurosurgery field by putting together those disparate skills when moving into bionic vision research.”

To help the vision impaired

OtherBVA supervisor’s

profile

Through an established

collaboration

The BVA project profile

32.7% 28.8%

15.4% 15.4%

7.7%


Research and career skills training

A key objective for BVA’s training program for students and ECRs was to mentor and provide training and opportunities to augment student and ECR personal and professional development. It was assumed that BVA supervisors would play a role in the development of their team and encourage their students to participate in university activities. BVA set about to provide programs that would add value to the traditional university training experience. BVA’s training covered topics relevant to all researchers, including writing skills workshops through to training sessions on IP and commercialisation. Students and ECRs were able to attend regular seminars that exposed them to up-to-date work within their institute or department,

but also from other research areas within and outside their administering institution. All participants were invited to participate via videoconference at the regular BVA seminar series. These forums also gave individuals the opportunity to present their own work to their peers.

All BVA activities were financially supported and it was assumed that individuals would seek out and take advantage of other training opportunities offered within their local affiliated institutions. Examples of such training included sessions on thesis writing, institutional seminars and more specialised training opportunities related to their projects, interests and professional development. For a detailed summary of all the training opportunities offered through BVA refer to Appendix 1.

“The courses were really the icing on the cake but of high value is the access to the BVA Consortium generally enabling authentic personal contact.”

Attendance of the respondents at BVA sponsored training opportunities is summarised in Table 3. These numbers are not a true indication of the number of attendees in each event, but rather, the recall of the students and ECRs having attended. These sessions were attended by BVA students and ECR as well as non-BVA students and ECRs that were associated with the Consortium.

Table 3: BVA students and ECRs recall of attendance at BVA sponsored events and training sessions 2010-2014 *Does not include former BVA staff. #Training sessions ran at annual BVA retreats.

Former BVA ECRs Students Total

Commercialisation skills workshop 2 5 4 11

Participation in BVA annual research retreat# 10 16 13 39

TGA training at research retreat# 0 1 0 1

Media training, presentation skills# 1 4 5 10

IP knowledge training# 2 7 7 16

Networking skills event at Medical Bionics Conference 3 6 4 13

Presentation coaching 0 1 1 2

Laboratory writing skills 1 0 2 3

Quality management system training 4 8 0 12

Tours of specialised labs (including Cochlear#) 6 4 5 15

Conference attendance 8 11 9 28

Lectures from BVA supported visiting professors 11 12 8 31

Fortnightly or monthly research seminar presentations 9 11 10 30

Career development workshop – Dr Jonathan Rosen* 0 6 2 8

Translation of research workshop – Dr Jonathan Rosen* 0 6 4 10

One to one mentoring 2 2 4 8

Other 0 2 1 3


The most attended and highly regarded BVA-sponsored events, as recalled by participants, were the Consortium’s annual retreats (Table 3). This forum included all the project participants coming together to share and report on achievements, outcomes, obstacles and to facilitate ongoing planning. It was an opportunity to report on other relevant work seen at various conferences, laboratories and institutions working in similar areas of research. Importantly, the retreat enabled all disciplines and project teams to come together beyond the topic specific weekly and monthly technical meetings. It facilitated cross pollination of ideas and approaches to problems, and planning sessions on how to move forward with the development to achieve the timeliest and most meaningful end result.

The greatest participation rates, recalled by both postgraduate students and ECR respondents, were training sessions that cemented basic skills required in their research. These included regular seminars, media training and engagement, and presentation, networking and laboratory writing workshops. All these events were rated as helpful for application within their work and their overall professional development.

Those who have since left BVA most valued the annual retreats, the seminars and the supported opportunities to attend relevant conferences. Training in specialised areas such as intellectual property, Quality Management System training and an introduction into commercialisation was also well regarded, if not as well recalled. An interesting observation of participants’ recollections is that it is the activities skewed to their academic research which were recalled by the students, while those who had left BVA began to realise the value of the ‘soft’ training skills obtained.

All students and ECRs were supported in their endeavours to attend conferences where their work could be peer reviewed and published. Whether local or international this was an invaluable opportunity for researchers to present their research and get feedback but they were also exposed to other work in their field. These events fostered new ideas for different approaches to overcome project hurdles or innovative ideas for further development or refinement of their own work or other associated project areas. At the crux of all this was communication and collaboration which was paramount to their

professional development. Also important was establishing networks that led to productive outcomes and the conceptualisation of new projects or ideas for their investigations. In many cases such opportunities were extended to enable researchers and students to visit laboratories undertaking similar work (in Australia and overseas) to share and learn more about an area of research directly relevant to the individual’s project or the bionic eye project as a whole. Expenses incurred to register and attend relevant conferences where students or ECRs presented project work, was supported by BVA. In some cases individuals paid for other activities that they wished to undertake as part of their professional development not relevant to their project work.

All respondents felt that the timing, frequency and any associated costs related to these activities were both reasonable and realistic in relation to their work and other commitments. To that end these individuals were provided with a number of opportunities to up-skill and broaden their professional development in their particular areas of interest.


Value of what was offered

Beyond providing tools to assist in an individual’s project work and professional development, feedback indicated that the training and other associated BVA activities provided individuals with the confidence and tools to apply to their work and other project work beyond BVA. A standout attribute that individuals identified as aiding them to be more independent and prepared was ‘networking’ skills and opportunities (Figure 4). Key value was placed in having confidence to approach and discuss work with peers and the general wider community. An overview of the impact BVA courses and training had is summarised in Figure 4.

On moving to other roles post-BVA, 68% of individuals felt that participation in BVA sponsored and other training activities prepared them for research roles either within the university or industry. All students indicated a pronounced value in all the training programs they undertook. These courses fostered their ability:

• Toworkacrossdifferentareas,

• Utiliseteamapproaches(whereappropriate),

• Identifyandtapintootherpeople’sexperience,

• Supportandcollaboratewithothers,and

• Developplansandachievedeliverable goals and outcomes.

Other training opportunities

In addition to the BVA development and training activities, respondents identified additional opportunities that they regarded as valuable for undertaking their roles and professional development. For ECRs these included media training, technical training (related to their project), grant and paper writing and project management skills. Individuals also highlighted a need for assistance in identifying appropriate expertise when it was not present within the BVA Consortium.

Moving forward, a significant number of respondents (86%) are building on what they have learnt and are mentoring and sharing their experiences with colleagues or students. This is being done both formally and informally. Many have continued networking to establish and expand collaborations in their current and new roles within and beyond BVA. Researchers in BVA recognised that workingina“silo”isnotproductiveandmay result in work taking an inordinate amount of time to achieve.

Figure 4: Impact of BVA supported events and courses on individual’s independence and preparedness in different tasks

“Everything I don’t know is a gap. Research is made up of those gaps. I might have saved a year if I had received some particular technical training at the right time...”

“I think that we need more technical training related to our research.”

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Number of respondents

Speaking publicly to non-technical people

Seeking grant funding sources, writing submissions

Identifying IP/commercialisation aspects of research

Scoping new project ideas, budgeting

Accessing bureaucracy, accountants

Teamwork

Applying new technical skills

Intellectual risk taking

Networking

Thinking in a bigger picture acedemically

Making project planning decisions

LowModerateHigh


Measures of training achievement

A significant measure of BVA’s and individual success is the acknowledgement of ECRs and students through awards and prizes. These included travel scholarships awarded by institutions and conference organisations (detailed on page 15). As a collective, ECRs and PG students contributed to over 100 peer reviewed articles and peer reviewed

publications. This was a significant contribution to BVA’s total publications during the funding period. How this compares to other similar projects and organisations is not known but being a highly focussed and driven project, students and ECRs were invited or given an opportunity to present their work and project developments both at local and international conferences and to local community groups, generating much interest in the work undertaken (Table 4).

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 TOTAL

Published books, Book chapt. or Other 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 7 17

Peer Reviewed Journal articles 5 1 8 9 30 11 27 15 17 9 132 193

Peer reviewed conference papers* 9 4 33 38 20 16 31 21 3 6 194 305

Invited presentations 1 1 4 0 6 1 3 1 3 0 21 126

Community Outreach 0 0 10 3 17 1 10 3 17 2 63 152

Table 4: Student (PG) & ECRs: Publications and presentations through work done with BVA 2010-2014

*Includes posters, abstracts and presentations

Total BVA

Output

Total PG & ECR

Output ECR PG ECR PG ECR PG ECR PG ECR PG


Postgraduate students and ECRs: Awards and achievements at BVA 2010-2015

2010Rosemary Cicione (PhD Candidate) awarded a Harold Mitchell Travel Scholarship.

Farhad Goodarzy, (PhD Candidate) awarded Marconi Medal.

Dr Rylie Green awarded the Scholarship for Women in Biomedical Engineering from Engineers Australia, the Australian Fresh Science Award, an International Travel Award from the Australasian Society for Biomaterials and an ASBTE conference travel grant.

Dr David Nayagam promoted to Level B Research Fellow.

Dr Chunhua Shen promoted to Senior Researcher.

Dr Mohit Shivdasani promoted to Level B Research Fellow and awarded a Harold Mitchell Travel Scholarship.

Joel Villalobos (PhD Candidate) awarded a Harold Mitchell Travel Scholarship.

2011Sam John awarded a Harold Mitchell Postgraduate Student Travelling Fellowship to attend the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology conference in US.

Dr Nhan Tran awarded 2nd for best student paper at Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference 2011, USA.

2012Dr Lauren Ayton awarded CERA Excellence in Research Award.

Dr Morven Cameron awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA), Australian Research Council (ARC).

Dr David Garrett awarded a DECRA, ARC.

Dr Tatiana Kameneva awarded a DECRA, ARC.

Amgad Habib (PhD Candidate) won the Student Paper Competition at the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference, USA.

Samantha Lichter (PhD Candidate) was runner up in the University of Melbourne Three Minute Thesis competition.

2013Dr Lauren Ayton received travel scholarships to attend the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference, USA. Awarded a Hugh Rogers Fellowship to travel to Boston to pursue collaborative work with Dr Joseph Rizzo of the Boston Retinal Implant Project. Acknowledgement award for her community engagement work.

Ronald Leung received travel scholarships to attend the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference in Seattle.

Samunda Perera (PhD candidate) completed a two month research visit to Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK.

BVA was a finalist in the 2013 Eureka Prize category for Interdisciplinary Research.

Dr Chris McCarthy, David Feng (and Prof. Nick Barnes) were awarded best paper at the IEEE workshop on multi-modal and alternative perception for vision impaired people, “Augmentingintensitytoenhancescene structure in prosthetic vision”.

Prof. Gregg Suaning and his team awarded UNSW Innovation Awards: a category prize for Advanced Innovation – Partnerships and the major UNSW Innovation.

Matias Maturana (PhD candidate) won 2nd prize for his poster at the Students of Brain Research conference. Awarded Best Poster at the Australian College of Optometry conference.

BVA a finalist in the 2013 Melbourne Awards.

Tianruo Guo (PhD candidate) presented a paper as a finalist in the EMBC student paper competition and achieved second place. BVA has had three finalists in this student paper competition over recent years.

Lil Deverell (PhD candidate) CERA award recognised for her outstanding student contribution.

Lachlan Horne (student), (Prof. Nick Barnes and Jose Alvarez) Best paper awardfor“ExploitingSparsityfor Real Time Video Labelling” at the

Computer Vision Technology: from Earth to Mars, workshop at the International Conference on Computer Vision.

2014Dr Mohit Shivdasani awarded an NHMRC grant.

Andrew Woolley – ‘Honorable Mention’ in the Olympus BioScapes contest. The image captured through the course of his work at UNSW. The image was published in Scientific American, ‘Life Under the Lens’ by editor Ferris Jabr (Jan 2014).

Dr Sharon Bentley 4th Australian to receive a Low Vision Diplomate from the American Academy of Optometry.

Lachlan Horne best paper at the ICCV Workshop on Computer Vision in Vehicle Technology titled: “ExploitingSparsityforRealTimeVideo Labelling.”

Kerry Halupka awarded a travel scholarship by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology to attend the Okinawa Computational Neuroscience Course, Japan.

Susmita Saha was runner up in Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne Three Minute Thesis competition.

Tianruo Guo was a finalist in the student paper competition at EMBC in Chicago.

2015 Ashley Stacey awarded a NICTA Quarterly Recognition Award for his work on BVA’s software and the VibroMat project.

Dr Matt Petoe awarded a two-year Health Investment Grant from Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Foundation.

Dr Rylie Green awarded 2nd place in the recent Centenary Institute Lawrence Creative Prize.

Dr Lauren Ayton was awarded the VESKI Victorian fellowship and became a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Dr David Garrett was awarded an NHMRC grant (the first NHMRC grant within the UoM School of Physics) and was a finalist in the 2015 Centenary Institute Lawrence Creative Prize.


No matter how they became engaged, the clear majority of respondents identified as being part of the BVA Consortium. This was a significant achievement as the project was not only made up of 8 partners, but within some organisations there were multiple teams contributing to the overall project. Much effort was made to drive a focussed and multidisciplinary collaborative approach to our goal that has culminated in the development and testing of an initial patient prototype. This has gone on to drive the development and succession of the next implant iterations that are hoped to go on to serve the vision impaired community.

Most of the students and ECRs (88.9% of respondents) felt that their research projects were linked and aligned with the BVA project goals (Figure 5). Two thirds of the respondents felt they were valued within the organisation with their inclusion at various meetings to discuss relevant aspects of their work and project. Further to that, they also felt they were a part of the development team contributing to the Consortium’s primary objective. For students there was a clear feeling that their capabilities and opinions were valued and respected within the organisation. One individual found that their work was so specialised that, although a part of the team, at times they felt somewhat isolated with no one to openly discuss their work with.

“Talents mostly appreciated but often my skills fall between the teams.” ECR

The unique opportunity of working in this multidisciplinary environment offers some advantages including being exposed to different disciplines and working on a real world problem with world class researchers to develop a working solution. BVA’s approach to the bionic eye project has strongly built and utilised its networking links across fields and institutions to drive its conceptualisation and innovation.

“BVA gave me the opportunity to think out of the box.”

ECRs and their supervisors

ECRS felt they got timely and constructive feedback from supervisors on newly learned skills, with opportunities to apply learnings within the BVA project (Figure 6). This was positive reinforcement of the value in personal and professional development achieved through the courses offered.

Student and ECR engagement with the project

34%

Figure 6: ECR constructive feedback received from supervisor/s

Figure 5: Do you feel part of the development team and therefore part of the Bionic Vision project?

No

Yes

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

88.9%

11.1%

“Absolutely! I think being part of BVA has been the best experience ever. It has opened many doors for me.” Student

No

Yes 92.9%

7.1%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Students and their supervisors

The vast majority of students who responded rated their supervisors as ’excellent’ while a couple of candidates rated them satisfactory or above and one unsatisfactory (Figure 7).

Attributes students most valued in their supervisor/s included:

• Abalanceofguidanceandfreedom,

• Brainstormingandmotivation,

• Openandgoodcommunication with all supervisors on relevant aspects of project, and

• Financialandconfidencebacking.

Attributes raised by students that supervisors could improve on included:

• Clearercrosscommunicationamong their supervisory team,

• Agreaterfocusonpapers,and

• Guidanceontimemanagement.

One response highlighted the lack of background provision on their area of research, there is a general consensus that this is usually on the onus of the student – perhaps in this instance there was a lack of communication of expectations. Overall the majority of students were satisfied with timely feedback, new skills learned and how those skills could be employed within their work, the BVA project and in other work beyond the project.

On reflection 84% of ECRs and students indicated they would promote and recommend working at BVA as an organisation that had great benefits, opportunities with advantages for both ECRs and postgraduate candidates. One respondent recommended the BVA model of operation and research and development for other multidisciplinary, cross institutional collaborative projects.

Figure 7: Student rating of training/mentoring received from primary academic supervisor/s

0 2 4 6 8 10

Number of respondents

Unsatisfactory

Satisfactory

Good

Excellent


Of those canvassed there was a strong desire to stay and continue working on the bionic eye project. All students wanted to continue not only with the project but also with basic research in their field. ECRs showed openness and drive to work in different areas within the project. Around 40% indicated they would like to work in the commercialisation aspects of a project. BVA has provided individuals with an insight into other disciplines and has revealed options for individuals to explore for future work opportunities within or beyond BVA.

“The time spent with BVA gave me enough confidence that nothing is impossible. It has made me think differently and innovation in technology is unstoppable.” – Former BVA

Students

Of the students surveyed, approximately two thirds envisage continuing to work in the area of their studies i.e., move to a postdoctoral role after graduation. The remaining respondents were either undecided or were considering a move into roles outside of academia. A similar split was found when asked if they intended remain in Australia. Reasons for moving overseas included: lack of local funding, links to and or an interest in residing in another country. Family, culture and lifestyle were cited as reasons pulling people to stay within Australia. Some individuals indicated they were as yet undecided. This cohort felt that funding and security were important factors when making career choices but were accepting of some level of uncertainly or risk taking.

ECRs

Depending on their roles and projects many of the ECRs had the opportunity to supervise and mentor postgraduate students. In undertaking such roles the majority felt that they were adequately prepared for supervisory roles. One of the highlighted outcomes was an increase in their own confidence in guiding and supporting peers and students. Others saw it reflected through their work that sometimes spanned different areas or groups within the project. This inclusion was important for their professional development and for advancement of the project goals alike.

On considering future roles, ECRs identified device development, science communication, eye research, and industrial design, engineering and management roles. Several ECRs have been interviewed for TV and radio, with one ECR now active in two regular radio science segments, one on ABC radio. When their roles at BVA come to an end, many individuals would be looking within their host institutions for suitable academic roles, while others identified industry positions. If they were to continue working within BVA some showed an interest in moving into clinical research and the commercialisation arm of the project (Figure 8).

In considering their next role, stability and security were highlighted as key factors in future plans and in considering other employment opportunities. The majority of respondents (87%) indicated they intended to stay in Australia. Reasons included family and lifestyle choices, but also many cited the outstanding reputation and position in a particular field of research was important. Some felt there were more opportunities available overseas, others were in a position that once their contracts concluded they had to return to their country of residence or look for other roles that would be open to sponsoring an international candidate. This group differed from their younger student counterparts, as funding and job securitywasrated“importantbutstillworth exploring opportunities with less certainty” and around half the ECRs ratedjobsecurityasa“prioritywhenlooking for new roles and openings”.

“I am happy taking risks when there is outcome uncertainty, provided there is certainty of opportunity (which is the biggest challenge facing an ECR in Australia).” – ECR

Career development and potential career paths

Figure 8: Areas ECRs would be interested in working if they were in a position to continue working in BVA.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Commercialisation

Basic Research

Clinical Research

40.0%

26.7%

33.3%

“Balance of career development (risky opportunities can bring great experience) and ensuring that family life and finances are not unduly impacted.” – ECR


Former BVA students and ECRs

After moving out of BVA into new roles, 43% of respondents were in roles that involved supervising students. The majority felt that it was their time and experience in BVA that gave them confidence to undertake supervisory roles, although BVA’s training offerings did not specifically address this skill.

“Skill development and communication enhancement within a wide group of people with extremely diverse backgrounds.” – Former BVA

Where individuals’ encountered gaps in their knowledge they sought to either find more information, attend relevant workshops, ask more experienced and knowledgeable colleagues or undertook more study to fill any gaps they felt they had. Sixty four percent of former employees and students thought that participation in the BVA sponsored training programs made them feel more prepared for other research roles within a university or industry. This preparedness included:

• Asoundapproachtodeveloping a research program,

• Makingprojectplanningdecisionsbased on key criteria, and

• Managingstaff,anattributethat they felt was fostered within BVA.

This also extended to include their ability to consider the bigger picture and the capacity to seek out new information and network as part of problems solving and progression of project work.

Individuals thought their ability to work across disciplines, within large technical teams and their capacity to try and apply solutions to overcome project obstacles, drive development and to achieve meaningful outcomes was a key quality promoted within BVA that set them up for their subsequent positions and roles. Through the training opportunities offered by BVA, individuals felt well positioned to scrutinise and identify IP and potential for commercialisation. Close to 79% of respondents found that they were able to go on and share their knowledge and ideas with colleagues or students formally or informally.

“The skill of identifying IP/commercialisation aspects of research was aided by being in the environment of the Consortium.”

After their departure from BVA approximately half of the respondents surveyed found themselves working in academia while the remaining members were employed by industries still involved in the area of medical bionics (Table 5). Others moved into different areas including biotechnology, management within a technology sector, product development involving clinical application, service industry and finance industry.

Table 5: Where are they now? Employers of former BVA ECRs and Students

Industry Roles

Asarva Chips & Technologies Pvt. Ltd (India)

Austest Laboratories

Cochlear Ltd

Cyberonics (US)

Defence Materiel Organisation

IBM Research

Implandata Ophthalmic Products GmbH (Germany)

Leica

Macquarie (Finance Group)

Medtronic

Minifab

National Australia Bank

ResMed

Samsung (Korea)

SmartStent

Academic Roles or R&D Roles

Bionics Institute

Flinders University

Hahn-Schickard-Gesellschaft, Institute for Micro Assembly Technology (HSG-IMAT) (Germany)

Harvard University (US)

Monash University

Monash Vision Group

RMIT University

Swinburne University of Technology

The University of Melbourne

University of Sydney

University of New South Wales


Conclusion, further discussion and recommendations

One of the remits BVA set itself was to:

“Trainanddevelopthenextgenerationof medical bionics experts” through programs for students and early career researchers. Further to this, BVA set outtoprovideaseriesof“outreachactivities for students and the community”.

With a successful uptake of training opportunities and positive satisfaction levels from the students and ECRs surveyed, the research community is well-placed to follow through to achieve its goal with work continuing to“advanceandcommercialisemedical bionic technology, to further embed Australia’s place as an innovative leader in the field of medical bionics”. This is reinforced by many respondents’ indicating their intention to continue their work within the organisation or within the medical bionics sector in Australia.

The key findings of this review are:

• Asignificantadvantageofworkingwithin BVA was the Consortium structure itself,

• BVA’sresearchersregardthemselvesas competent, able to apply and to adapt to research management challenges within and outside the medical bionics sector, and

• Individualsengagedinthemanyfacets of the BVA project are highly adaptable.

BVA is an outstanding example of what can be achieved when there is a basic requisite to reach a tangible and meaningful outcome for individuals and the community. This significant achievement has great potential to flow on to generate an economic benefit too, with potential employment opportunities and exports. In the last 5 years the Consortium has worked to train individuals as well as create potential for job opportunities as the

realisation of a commercial product and advancement in the developed technology becomes a reality. This form of well-considered research funding will hopefully go on to form the basis of employment-creating and a sustainable export-earning industry. In addition to this, there are also benefits for the Consortium members with research profiles and evidence of innovative technology breakthroughs, which aids attraction and retention of high performing staff and students. Students have shown that they want to be supported to pursue long-term sustainable, interesting and socially meaningful careers. It is a testament to the program at BVA that the student retention rate was greater than 95%. Most want to stay on to see the project completed, or stay and continue in the medical bionics field.

Moving forward

The BVA Consortium is working to keep the momentum going. Throughout the funded period, BVA has collaboratively trained and mentored researchers who have and will now go on to work in an allied field or another spin-off development to the benefit

of the economy and public good. These individuals are now ready to embark on a career using their skills and knowledge some of which they attained and built on while engaged with BVA. To that end, BVA has worked to lay a firm foundation of capacity in the medical bionics field that is set to continue within the organisation and beyond through its collaborations. The students and personnel it has trained and developed are already forming the next generation of medical bionic experts.

The Government and wider community (medical bionics and other industry sectors) should ensure that training is an integral part of any funding for large research projects. Support for major collaborative ventures will attract and retain the uniquely skilled individuals either to continue with this and other cutting edge biomedical development projects within Australia or move onto other new exciting positions within the greater community.

We have seen what organisations such as Cochlear Limited can grow and become over time, creating an ecosystem of professionals in the medical bionics industry. BVA has

Conclusion: Building sustainable medical bionics industry


played a part in nurturing this industry in Australia to allow the country to continue to produce advances for all.

It would be worthwhile to harness the impetus gained from this training evaluation – and continue the conversation about how to optimise the research training process given this airing and legitimacy. The openness and enthusiasm conveyed by the survey participants could be focused in some way through an industry networking/lobby group or roundtable, to start a regular practice of quality improvement for training in collaborative research groups in medical and other innovation/discovery research nodes.

Research programs such as BVA often involvesome“makingitupasyougo”not only in a theoretical sense but at the clinical interface, so the skills which are the most important and need to be fostered include:

• Intellectualagility,

• Socialskills,

• Adaptability,

• Creativityand

• Cross-disciplinarytranslation.

This review highlights the significance of the BVA’s ability to remove existing barriersand“silos”oftraditionallyindependent and competitive institutions and departments to facilitate greater cooperation and to work towards a common goal. There was fundamental coordination, management and drive to move the project forward with specific targets defined and monitored throughout the project. This was not only key for the project, but also for the students and ECRs ensuring where possible that personnel and students were equipped both academically and professionally to achieve their own goals and to ensure their work directly fed into the overarching project. It has been this strong collaborative environment and BVAs Executive that has played a pivotal role in maintaining the focus throughout the Consortium.

“The project management and administration support within the BVA Consortium has been first class and I would recommend such a model to any other multi-institutional collaborative project (e.g., centre of excellence etc.).” –ECR

What could have been done differently?

There could have been a more structured approach to future training processes – a system of consultation, gap analysis or tools to assess technical or individual skills training needs for students or ECRs within the middle years of the funded program to ensure that there was adequate time to plan ahead. Although there was some consultation in developing the training programs offered by BVA, it is evident that these needs can change depending on other external available opportunities and individual experiences. It must be noted that where necessary some individual training was fostered. The most authentic promoters of a new field are the practitioners and beneficiaries, so the continuing provision and uptake of media training is vital for emerging scientists, and a few have taken this up very enthusiastically as spokespersons, mentors and as communicators to schools and the wider public (Table 6, Appendix 1).

The 21st century truism that the main technologies for the future are not yet invented, means that we need to train for creative, high level conceptual, problem solving skills – and people who are socially skilled, adaptable and portable to lead these developments. With the Consortium community BVA has built a culture of continuous collaborative learning – at all levels – but it needs to have continuing support and a clear objective.

Emerging scientists need certainty, policy consistency, and overt support from government innovation policy and from private industry. Society needs to foster greater support for science culturally, from school

onwards. A well-worn response, but borne out by the open ended answers to questions particularly from the BVA ECRs. They describe their concern about longer term prospects and shifting levels of tolerance for risk as they take on more personal life-responsibilities.

With career mobility becoming the norm, highly specialised professionals like this whether in the medical bionics industry or other areas such as banking and finance, will benefit us all. The question is how appropriately and efficiently we educate and train the brightest and best, and what opportunities are available in Australia to engage and promote innovation and technology to benefit individuals and community, and then our local research and industry sectors alike.

A key outcome has been to develop and reinforce this emerging medical bionics industry that should not only continue with its innovative technological developments, but endeavour to retain the professional talent it has fostered and promoted. It is this emerging sector that will go on to employ and inspire the next wave of technology and graduates that will ultimately benefit not only the vision impaired but also the wider community and beyond.

Australia needs to nurture the high level of altruism and goodwill towards such public interest projects – good “sympathetic”projectsattractgoodcommitted people. This was the evidence of a number of BVA ECRs whose main motive was to work on a project that could help people and whose lives have been touched by the challenges of vision impairment.

Specialists like these cannot easily be replaced.


Thanks to:

• Allsurveyrespondents,whoverygenerously gave their time and frank opinions and to volunteer interviewees who gave even more of the same;

• BVAManagementforaccesstoConsortium facilities, data and members’ time for the completion of this process;

• LizVisheroftheAustralianResearchCouncil for her input into the survey questions;

• RosemaryHooke,ofUniBusinessConsulting who designed, assembled and co-ordinated the surveys, follow-up interviews and preliminary analysis and report;

• DrGeorgiaGiannakisofBVA,whoproduced the final report; and

• SophieCampbellofSCDesignforthe final report design.

BVA Training programs were developed and coordinated by BVA General Manager, Julie Anne Quinn.

The Annual BVA Retreat programs were devised by BVA Project Manager, Tamara Brawn.

The BVA Executive Team, including Tracy Painter, Yun-Xin Book, Veronika Gouskova, Clare Chandler, and Florienne Loder, supported many of the training activities.

Acknowledgements

This Report is dedicated to Bernard Hooke, late father of Rosemary Hooke, who in the 1940s graduated in Electrical Engineering from this same Melbourne University faculty, which in 2014 hosts Bionic Vision Australia. A quiet innovator, a clear thinker.


Appendices


Appendix 1: Detailed summary of training programs offered by BVA

Table 6: Research training offerings for postgraduate students and ECRs at Bionic Vision Australia: 2010-2014

Source: BVA Annual Reports and records

Year Activity Auspice/location Frequency Participants

Accessible to BVA students/ECRs?

2010 Hosting of undergraduates i) UoM U/G internship student worked under UROP at NICTA on retinal map. ii) BVA supported First Lego League school student medical bionics queries, globally.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), First Lego League, with BVA, Melbourne

Across year

i) Undergraduates with academic supervisor and subsequent PhD student

ii) BVA staff interacting with school students globally

BVA researchers as supervisors

Lectures by BVA supported international visitors working in area of retinal prostheses: Prof. Eberhard Zrenner (Tuebingen) and Dr Joe Rizzo (Boston)

BVA official visitors Melbourne

One off All Melbourne based students and staff invited

Yes

2011 UROP Program – two UoM U/G students worked with BVA researchers on building blocks of BVA knowledge

UROP, with BVA Melbourne

Across year

UROP U/G students, BVA supervisors


BVA Research Retreat: media training, IP /lab. recording workshops for PhDs

BVA Canberra

One off/ Annual

PhDs at BVA, BVA staff and external experts

All

*Various outreach educational activities, undergraduate, school and community

BVA Various

Across year

The community, BVA students and staff

BVA researchers who volunteered time

Medical Bionics conference: BVA ran a ‘how to network’ event

Medical Bionics conference Philip Island

One off Students and ECRs who attended the conference

Yes

BVA fortnight research seminar – Student and ECRs presented their work to the rest of BVA members

BVA Various

Fortnightly BVA students and staff Yes

Lectures by BVA supported international visitors: Prof Dominique Durand (Care Western); Prof Thomas Stieglitz (Freiburg); Prof Mark Blumenkranz (Stanford)



Yes




2012 BVA Members hosted a series of interns working on technologies feeding the BVA project

Melbourne Materials Institute/Bionics Institute/UNSW Melbourne, Sydney

Across year Undergraduates, Supervisors


Tour of BVA, Monash Vision Group MiniFAB labs, BVA, Monash Vision Group Melbourne

April, one off

Students and ECRs All

BVA Research retreat –Visit to Cochlear

BVA/Cochlear Sydney

One off, Annual

BVA students attending Retreat

All BVA students

Students of Brain Science Symposium BVA Melbourne

One off BVA students All BVA students

BVA Research retreat – training in TGA process for approval of medical devices by Dr Martin Devitt of Mobius Medical

BVA Sydney

One off All staff and students


BVA Various

Across year The community BVA students and staff

BVA researchers who volunteer time

IP training – as part of Freedom to operate exercise

BVA Melbourne

One off Selected staff invited to participate

Training in Quality Management System

BVA Melbourne, Sydney

As required Staff involved in writing SOPs

Lecture supported by BVA international visitor: Prof Thomas Stieglitz, entitled: “Trendsandchallengesinminiaturisedneural implants”



Yes

BVA fortnight research seminar – Student and ECRs presented their work to the rest of BVA members

BVA Various

Fortnightly BVA students and staff Yes

BVA-sponsored event: 2012 Graeme Clarke Oration – Prof. Dame Linda Partridge DBE FRS FRSE

BVA sponsored event Melbourne

One off All students and staff invited

Open

2013 BVA Research Retreat: commercialisation skills development workshop,entitled:“TheLandscapeand the Opportunities for the Next Generation of Medical Bionics Professionals”

BVA and external experts Melbourne

One off / Annual

PhDs and ECRs at BVA and Monash, with external industry experts including Victoria’s Chief Scientist

All BVA students and ECRs

UCLA Prof Alan Yuille via NICTA – Workshop“ICTforLifeSciences”

BVA sponsored expert visit Canberra

One off PhD and ECRs Open to all BVA students

Students of Brain Science Symposium BVA – Sponsored Melbourne

One off Students All students in field

AdBioFab Workshop St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne

one off Students and ECRs Yes

Table 6: Research training offerings for postgraduate students and ECRs at Bionic Vision Australia: 2010-2014 (continued)




2013 (contiued)

Medical Bionics Conference –Sponsored international speakers (Prof Dominique Durand, A/Prof Shelley Fried)

Medical Bionics conference Philip Island

one-off Students and ECRs

Open

“Ruboff”effectofhighlevelcollaborative work e.g., with Monash, UNSW, Auckland, Adelaide, Boston and other centres of excellence

Range of collaborators and partners, at Various

Ongoing, across year

Principals and researchers

All in field


BVA Various

Various, across year

BVA students and staff

BVA researchers who volunteer time

Training in Quality Management System

BVA Melbourne, Sydney

As required Staff involved in writing SOPs

Medical Bionics conference: BVA sponsored a student and ECR networking event

Medical Bionics Conference Phillip Island

One off Students and ECRs who attend the conference

BVA monthly research seminar – Student and ECRs presented their work to the rest of BVA members

BVA Various

Monthly BVA students and staff

Yes

BVA-sponsored event: 2013 Graeme Clarke Oration – Geoffrey Lamb (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)

BVA sponsored event Melbourne

One off All students and staff invited

Open

2014 BVA research retreat – workshops and talks

BVA Melbourne

Annual All staff and students

BVA. Monash Vision Group invited for day 2

Career development workshop with Dr Jonathan Rosen

BVA Melbourne

One off All students and ECRs invited

Translation of research workshop with Dr Jonathan Rosen

BVA Melbourne


One to one mentoring BVA Melbourne, Sydney


Lectures by BVA supported international visitors: Dr Joe Rizzo (Boston)

BVA official visitors Melbourne, Sydney

One off All BVA students and staff invited

Yes

Seminar from overseas visitor: Dr Gislin Dagnelie (John Hopkins), invited by NICTA

BVA Various (Video conference)

One off All BVA students and staff invited

Yes

*School or community Outreach activities are included in this table, as events to pass on science concepts to non-involved people clarifies and deepens our own understanding of a difficult area, as well as offering insights and feedback on the needs and application of any resultant devices or services (as does the act of formal teaching, training per se). It also sets in motion the potential for future capacity attraction, development and public support – including fostering funding sources.

Table 6: Research training offerings for postgraduate students and ECRs at Bionic Vision Australia: 2010-2014 (continued)


Appendix 2: Survey

Below are the survey questions forwarded to:

– Postgraduate students (PGS)

– Early career researchers (ECR)

– Former BVA students and ECRs (FMR)

A. About you and BVA

PGS ECR What is your age?

20-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41+

PGS ECR FMR What is your gender?

F/M

FMR In which year/s were you working on the BVA project?

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

PGS ECR Your highest degree candidate status in your time with BVA?

PhD / Masters

ECR Your completed highest degree status in your time with BVA?

PhD / Masters/ Other degree (Please specify)

PGS If a current PhD candidate:

– What year commenced?

– Where commenced?

– Was this commenced while with the BVA project?

– When do you anticipate completion of your PhD?

– Did you also complete a Masters degree while with BVA?

PGS If a current Masters candidate:


– Where commenced?

– Was this commenced while with the BVA Project?

– When do you anticipate completion of your Masters?

ECR If highest qualification was PhD:


– What field?

– Where was this completed?

– Was this completed while with the BVA Consortium?

ECR If highest qualification was Masters:


– What field?



ECR If highest qualification was another degree:


– What Field?



PGS Whether PhD or Masters, what is your Project with BVA?

ECR What is your current Project with BVA?

PGS ECR What is your current working location/host organisation?

PGS ECR Why were you attracted to this option with BVA?

– To work on the BVA Project generally

– I was part of a collaborative arrangement with my host institution

– I have a passion to make a difference to the vision impaired

– I wanted to work with a particular BVA Supervisor

– Other (please specify)

PGS ECR Did you come to BVA with scholarship or research funding from elsewhere?

Yes / No If yes, details?

PGS ECR If not, did you gain subsequent funding?

Yes / No If yes, details?

PGS ECR Do you mainly identify as being part of the BVA Consortium?

FMR Did you mainly identify as being part of the BVA Consortium?

Yes / No

ECR Your current tenure/working status with BVA:

Fixed Term Contract/ Continuing Employment

FMR In what capacity did you work with the BVA Consortium, where?

Postgraduate student

Early career researcher

Employee of a partner organisation

Details, host organisation?

FMR Where are you now?

FMR What sort of role are you in now?

Academic research with medical bionics content

Academic teaching with medical bionics content

Industry R&D with medical bionics content

Industry Management with medical bionics content

Other (please specify)

FMR Was this choice or opportunity resulting from your experiences/connections at BVA?

FMR Have you benefited in your new role from the time spent with BVA?

B. Accessing Research Training

PGS From your host institution, have you accessed research training provided by BVA?

ECR From wherever you are located in the Consortium, have you accessed research training provided by BVA?

Yes / No

PGS ECR If Yes, which of the following BVA-supplied training have you accessed?


FMR Which of the following BVA-supplied specific research/career training activities did you engage in while at BVA?

– Commercialisation skills workshop

– Participation in BVA Annual Research Retreat

– TGA training at Research Retreat

– Media Training, presentation skills

– IP knowledge training

– Networking skills event at Medical Bionics Conference

– Presentation coaching

– Laboratory writing skills

– Quality Management System training

– Tours of specialised labs

– Conference attendance

– Lectures from BVA-supported Visiting Professors

– Fortnightly or monthly research seminar presentations

– Career development workshop – Dr Jonathan Rosen

– Translation of Research Workshop – Dr Jonathan Rosen

– One to one mentoring

– Other (please specify)

PGS Can you let us know which of the above activities that you accessed were the most helpful for the progression of your BVA thesis?

ECR Can you let us know which of the above activities that you accessed were the most helpful for your particular BVA Project?

FMR If you were previously a PhD or Masters student at BVA, which if any of the above activities accessed were the most helpful for the progression of your thesis topic?

PGS ECR Can you let us know which of the above activities that you accessed were the most helpful for your career and professional development?

FMR If you were an ECR while at BVA, which if any of the above training activities accessed were the best value for your own career development opportunities and professional growth purposes?

PGS ECR Do/Did you access non-BVA training opportunities provided by your home institution, or another source?

FMR While at BVA did you access other non-BVA training opportunities provided by your home institution, or another source?

Yes / No

PGS ECR FMR If Yes, what other opportunities have you accessed, and where?

– What programs?

– Where/who provided?

– Did you find this valuable to your BVA Thesis? (PGS only)

– How did you find this complemented the BVA provided training? (ECR FMR only)

PGS ECR Overall, was the timeframe, frequency and cost of any BVA or OTHER training undertaken realistic for you?

Yes / No Comment?

PGS ECR Did you get financial assistance for any of the above training? (For example, registration fees, travel/accommodation, purchase of resources/literature).

Yes / No If Yes, from where?

C. Career Skills Training

FMR In general, did earlier participation in training programs help you feel more “work ready” for an independent role as a researcher in universities or industry?

Yes/ No

PGS ECR If you have accessed some useful BVA or other training, has this helped you feel more independent and prepared for:

FMR How? For example, did you feel more independent and prepared for:

Not very Moderately Highly

– Making project planning decisions

– Thinking in a bigger picture academically

– Networking

– Intellectual risk taking

– Applying new technical skills

– Teamwork

– Accessing bureaucracy, accountants

– Scoping new project ideas, budgeting

– Identifying IP/commercialisation aspects of research

– Seeking funding sources, writing submissions

– Speaking publicly, to non-technical people

– Applying for higher level positions (FMR only)

– Seeking funding sources, writing submissions (FMR only)

– Setting a research agenda (FMR only)

– Managing professional staff (FMR only)

PGS ECR In general, did participation in training programs help you feel more “work ready” for an independent role as a researcher in universities or industry

Yes / No Any Comments?

PGS ECR FMR What do you feel you are currently best at in this working environment, or enjoy the most?

PGS ECR FMR Are you able to build on this success by sharing/mentoring with colleagues or younger students – informally or formally?

Yes / No If so, how?

PGS ECR Can you tell us about any awards/prizes/citations you have acquired through your contribution to the BVA project?

PGS ECR If you feel there are any current gaps in your skills or those of your BVA peers which further targeted training or work activity could address, what would you suggest?

FMR If you recall feeling any gaps in your career preparation as you have moved into different work environments, how did you address this?

PGS ECR Overall, are the extra-curricular facilities/activities/services adequately designed for student budgets and accessibility for you in this time? e.g. food, services, office accommodation, labs, social and networking opportunities, transport options, work-life balance

Yes / No Comment?


D. Host intuition connection with BVA

PGS Does your Thesis research field satisfactorily link you to the Bionic Vision project. For example – do/did you feel part of the development team and therefore part of the BVA outcomes?

ECR Does your current research field satisfactorily link you to the Bionic Vision project. For example do you feel part of the development team and therefore part of the BVA outcomes?

FMR When with BVA, did you feel your research field satisfactorily linked you to the Bionic Vision project? For example did you feel part of the development team and therefore part of the BVA outcomes?

Yes / No Comment?

PGS ECR Do you feel your talents and opinions are being adequately appreciated in the BVA setting?

Yes / No Comment?

PGS ECR Would you like to continue working on the BVA developments?

Yes / No

PGS ECR If Yes, which would be your preferred stream?

Clinical research

Fundamental research

Commercialisation

PGS What do you consider the main benefits of this multi-disciplinary work environment for a postgraduate student?

ECR What do you consider the main benefits of this multi-disciplinary work environment for an ECR?

FMR What do you consider to be the main benefits of this multidisciplinary work environment for a future independent researcher?

PGS How effective is the research training/mentoring you receive from your primary Academic Supervisor/s?

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

No Comment

PGS What works well with your Supervisor/s?

PGS What would you like more of from your Supervisor/s?

PGS Do you get timely, constructive feedback from your Academic Supervisors about any newly learned skills, with opportunities to apply this within the BVA project?

ECR Do you get timely, constructive feedback from your work Supervisors about any newly learned skills, with opportunities to apply this within the BVA project?

Yes / No If so, how?

PGS Would you recommend the BVA collaborative R&D Consortium model of Postgraduate degree completion to others?

ECR FMR Would you recommend the BVA collaborative R&D Consortium model of ECR working to others?

Yes / No Comment?

ECR What other work do you feel qualified to attempt?

ECR Otherwise what are your plans (Optional)

ECR Have you supervised any thesis students?

FMR Are you now supervising thesis students?

Yes / No If Yes, details??

ECR Did you feel adequately prepared for this?

Yes / No /NA If No, details??

FMR If so, do you feel more prepared for this particular role by having previously accessed either Postgraduate or ECR training provided by BVA?

Yes / No /NA If No, details??

FMR Has your current employer acknowledged and/or rewarded any special skills and experience you may have acquired through the BVA Consortium experience?

E. Potential Career ideas

PGS Do you plan to be employed in your PhD field upon graduation?

Yes / No If Yes, what role? Otherwise what are your plans? (Optional)

PGS ECR Do you intend to stay in Australia?

PGS ECR FMR Briefly, what do you feel are the three most vital things an ECR needs to be able to know and do in order to become an effective professional researcher in academia?

Skill / Knowledge 1

Skill / Knowledge 2

Skill / Knowledge 3

PGS ECR FMR Further, what do you feel are the three most vital things a Postgraduate (ECR) needs to be able to know and do in order to become an effective professional researcher in industry?

Skill / Knowledge 1

Skill / Knowledge 2

Skill / Knowledge 3

PGS ECR FMR How do you value funding and employment security when making career choices? How would you rate this issue?

Not important

Important but worth taking risks with uncertainty

Highest priority

Comments?

F. Discuss

PGS ECR FMR Would you like to expand on your story and suggestions through further discussion with the independent researcher looking at these training processes?

Yes / No Email, if Yes

PGS ECR FMR Your Name


Appendix 3: Follow-up interviews

Cohorts: Current BVA PhD, Masters Students, and Early Career Researchers

A. How did you arrive at Medical Bionics/Vision technology?

1. What career did you think you would be having when you were still at school?

2. After your base degree, what academic and personal skills did you need to have/acquire to go on to the next stage of specialisation?

3. How did this happen? (Self-directed/taught? Good advice, mentoring? Formal courses? What skills? What worked best?)

4. Could some of this be integrated with a base degree?

5. How did you get – at least – to BVA, what path?

6. Did you get the specific new skills and knowledge from the opportunities provided by BVA?

7. How did you connect with the BVA offerings? Plan/balance ahead or ad hoc opportunities? Remote location from Melbourne an issue?

8. Was there a light bulb moment for you re medical bionics, OR did opportunity strike and you plunged in?

B. I’m interested in peoples’ ability to adapt acquired intellectual skills, in this case in Medical Bionics, to a variety of settings, and what levels of professional agility are possible

9. What most drives you in looking at your occupational life/lives?

10. Is having an applicable demonstrable result from your efforts imperative for you to keep going?

11. What really drives you to strive?

12. What else would you like to develop in yourself?

13. Tellmeaboutany“ohdear”moments when you were surprised to find you didn’t know what to do, and what you learned from this

14. What else would your current skill set be interchangeable with?

C. Where could you go with this?

15. What else would it be your dream to create, or move into?

16. What would it take? (Skills, knowledge, finances, management skills, contacts)

17. Any practical moves towards this – did BVA help with any of the tools?

18. Do you have the chance to be a driver of collaboration with universities, trainer of students?

19. Do you want to?

20. What would it take? Would you be interested to provide specific feedback to course/training designers?

21. Downside of your MB choice? – In Australia, elsewhere?

22. Do you feel connected overall with other professionals working in this area? Formally connect?

23. What would it take to improve this?

24. What would be the most valuable thing you have learned from the BVA opportunities so far?

Cohort: Former BVA Research Students and employees

A. Can you tell me about how you arrived in Medical Bionics/Vision technology?

1. What career did you think you would be having when you were still at school?

2. After your base degree, what academic and personal skills did you need to have/acquire to go on to the next stage of specialisation?

3. How did this happen? (Self-directed/taught? Good advice, mentoring? Formal courses? What skills? What worked best? )

4. Could some of this be integrated with a base degree?

5. How did you get – at least – to BVA, what path?

6. Did you get the specific new skills and knowledge from the opportunities provided by BVA?

7. How did you connect with the BVA offerings? Plan/balance ahead or ad hoc opportunities?

8. Was there a light bulb moment for you re medical bionics, OR did opportunity strike and you plunged in?

B. I’m interested in peoples’ ability to adapt acquired intellectual skills, in this case in Medical Bionics, to a variety of settings, and what levels of Professional agility are possible

9. What most drives you in looking at your occupational life/lives?

10. Is having an applicable, demonstrable result from your efforts imperative for you to keep going?

11. What really drives you to strive generally?

12. What else would you like to develop in yourself?

13. Tellmeaboutany“ohdear”moments when you were surprised to find you didn’t know what to do, and what you learned from this

14. What else would your current skill set be interchangeable with?

Questions for face-to-face interviews

The independent reviewer undertook face to face interviews with a number of respondents in October 2014 in Melbourne and Sydney, about career development values and processes. Her questions are listed below.


Appendix 4: Follow-up interviews – case study

Casestudy“ApplicationtoanemergingAustralianscientificindustry:Whatmakesanadaptableresearchspecialist in Medical Bionics?”

In their own words…

Where do these specialised people start from?

In face-to-face discussion with the independent interviewer about career plans while still at school, and choice of subsequent degrees, various BVA interview volunteers said:

• AtSchoolIhadnoidea;myinterestswere too wide, not helped by doing the Baccalaureate. I had spoken with my Chemistry teacher about nanotechnology and eventually did a double Science and Engineering degree in Materials at Monash. I thought I would design Medical devices – although there was no industry in Australia yet.

• IhaddoneacourseinAudioEngineering in NZ and worked in the music industry. My maths tutor suggested I could go further with electronics. I then did an undergraduate science degree. With a drive to follow opportunities and learn new things, I then through moving to UQ (and to Australia) did Electrical Engineering which included Biomedical Engineering (my father was a medico). My subsequent PhD at Sydney Uni was designing hearing diagnostic equipment for newborn babies, I then returned to NZ for a Postdoc in Stroke Research until 2012 when I joined BVA.

• IthoughtI’dbeascientistordoctor– I always loved biology. Finished High School in Sydney (from Taiwan) and then did a double Science/Engineering degree at University of Sydney, learned about Cochlear and did Neuroscience, and realised I can have impact on the vision impaired.

• IthoughtI’ddoMedicinebutthenrealised there was too much long study – was good at Science at school. I did Biomedical Engineering and Science, then Honours and into electronic warfare risk research (DSTO). Then onto a PhD in Orthopaedics biomaterials, the became a Patent Attorney, but eventually was appointed to work as a postdoc with BVA.

• IlovedMathsatschool(inUS)sodida Science Degree then Engineering and Applied Maths – worked in Engineering and followed up with an MBA. I worked at Melbourne Uni in 2003 and then did a PhD in Radar.

• Iwenttoaruralschoolnotexpecting to enter engineering – but liked Maths and Science and managed to have a work experience stint in electrical engineering, and in town planning.

• CametoAustraliaanddidBiomedical Engineering at Melbourne Uni – a focus on Epilepsy – but this was not primarily biology, rather data analysis.

• InYear11and12Iwasguidedbymycompetence in Science. Went on to do a BSc in Biology/Neurosciences with Honours, where my supervisor had a research specialisation in Retinal Science.

• AtschoolIhadnoideawhattodo,I was good at Maths and Physics – possibly a doctor but have a problem with blood! I did an arts/science double degree. I was studying in Japan when I found out about Medical Bionics. I then did a Melbourne Uni coursework Masters in Electrical Engineering which led to a chance to work in BVA (NVRI) through initially a six week summer project.

Interviewer comments:

Underlying these stories unstated and potentially not even realised by the participants as they have clearly not struggled with these disciplines, is that they are the winners of the STEM skill race. An endangered resource to be nurtured by society – whatever arms of science and industry they move between.

Another fascinating revelation is the several BVA members who have been trained in and worked in high level esoteric military engineering/science, nuclear power roles, creative arts and languages, and have sought to adapt their foundational intellectual skills to areas this diverse.

This also demonstrates that we effectively can have an elite reserve workforce of this and other public interest specialties – once the required standard is understood, valued by society, well supported and achieved.


How did you get into BVA/Medical Bionics – any light bulb moment?

• Imadeacoldcall!Lightbulb–anarticlein“MaterialsAustralia”journalabout materials challenges for the Bionic Eye

• IhadbeenworkinginBrazil–innuclear engineering – but came to Australia and simply knocked on the door of Biomedical Engineering and spoke with Nigel Lovell which led me to the BVA Consortium. The light always was on – for medical bionics – Nigel provided the bridge to the vision field and goal of bionics

• Withmydrivetofollowopportunities, BVA had advertised jobs in 2012 and I gained a 12 month contract, which was then extended to 2 years.

• Iwaspartofacollaborativearrangement with the Bionics Institute – my employer. During my earlier Postdoc (Stroke Research) and PhD I realised I wanted to work on the brain – but the BVA moment was the opportunity for commercialisation – this is where it’s come together

• IhadgoneoverseastostudywhenI found out about Medical Bionics while watching a SIM of bionic vision on TV.

• ThroughworkingwithNigelLovellat UNSW – then gained an APA for PhD but took six months to be aware of BVA actual connections

• Ihadcomefrominterstatetoworkat Melbourne University, with my Commercialisation skills – I applied and got job at BVA.

• WasworkingatMelbourneUniin2003 and then did a PhD in Radar. My Visa expired, went back to US, but returned to Australia to work at BVA as an ECR, then gained Permanent Residency

• ThroughmyHonoursthesissupervisor who was in BVA, I had the opportunity to know about it, I used these contacts and sought my own job.


How did they arrive at BVA? A combination of demonstrated excellence, luck, timing, self-starting ambition, flexibility, contacts and endless curiosity. Given that there was no “course” to prepare one for this this discovery project, a degree of risk taking was essential too.

How did you acquire the Bionic Vision specifics for your project, given you are an industry pioneer?

• MyHonourssupervisorwasinBVAand the rest of the skills were picked up through a combination of all the extra-curricular experiences in the field – there is no course for it!

• IlearnedabouttheBiologyaspectsboth from the Research Retreats and everyday working situations. These events broke the ice for later cooperation

• Ineededtopickupneuralengineering and how big multi-skilled and multi-geography projects work/or not.

• Igainedmodellingskillsviaconnections in the Consortium – particularly Hamish

• Ispokewithvariousstakeholdersand taught myself new skills – the regulations are well documented

• Youdoabroadapprenticeshipformy kind of specialisation – there is no actual central source – there are resources available on the internet such as Matrix Management

• ProbablynotattendedenoughBVAcourses – as was voluntary

• FromBVAcommunicationskillsand opportunities. Also research methods. More general things from BVA but more specific skills imparted by supervisors at home institution

• Marginallyso,fromBVAofferings

• Itendedtoseekmyownsolutionsto problems, but BVA IP training was really good preparation for patents for medical devices

• Theexperienceofvariouscoursesaided skills in preparation of grant applications

Reviewer comments:

This collection of quotes volunteered in face-to-face discussion complements the overall level of satisfaction with the events in the BVA-only series revealed by the on-line Survey: viz. “Did the BVA courses have a positive effect on your overall confidence as a professional researcher?”

Yes – PhD: 75%, ECR: 63%, Former BVA: 64%

BVA events were generally seen as strong on networking, specific BVA Research sharing and big picture Consortium values. Thereafter, the location within the Consortium of specific skill sets and technical training was known and simply followed up for more individual needs, perhaps in their home institutions. Once again the Consortium as a primary learning laboratory source is clear.


What are the threats and opportunities for sustainability of Australian MB capacity gains so far?

From current PhDs and ECRs:

Would you stay on the BVA Project?

• PhD92%Yes;

• ECR100%(ofsample)Yes

But would you stay in Australia?

• PhD64%Yes,36%No;

• ECR88%Yes,12%No

Therefore, a majority would stay on the job, here, if there were capacity.

From the Former BVA researchers:

Have they stayed in Australia?

Already 28% of respondents are overseas

Did they stay in the field?

Yes, the majority are in some role to do with MB, whether at home or away.


Given 73% of the Former group were already working in BVA at ECR stage; this is not unexpected, as they are at the age to explore other opportunities, for now. Most importantly as so many are still working in related areas, there is potential for returning to re-join this field with great further experience to contribute from elsewhere.

Why did (some) people leave BVA, (and have others’ new ventures benefited from the BVA experience)? I left because of.…

• Jobsecurity

• Gotasecurejob,andBVAfundingisfinishing anyway.

• JobsecurityandspecificBVAcompetitive funding stresses tarnished a great experience.

• AlthoughnowacceptingatenuredSenior Lecturer job, I’d wanted to stay with BVA for the long haul.

But…

• I’mdirectlyusingthetechniquesI learned at BVA for my current research.

• Morefamiliarwithbusinessprocesses.

• LearntnewthingsinBVAwhichgivea richer understanding of computer architecture.

What other work do you feel capable of, or dream of creating?

I could now adapt to:

• Engineeringanddesigninamedicaldevice company

• Prettywellanything–asdemonstrated by earlier career. Perhaps not law etc.!

• Moreclinicaltrialsofotherdevicedevelopment

• Electricalengineering–withbiomedical Engineering in almost anything with a maths-heavy analytical problem

• MedicalBionicsgenerally/anythingto do with Motor Cortex

• Possiblyinbanking,dataanalysis in any industry. Also microscopy

• Aretinalbiologistwiththesameskillsets, but not necessarily in industry. Academic research

• Datamining/analytics–appliedtoother biological/economic/banking/risk analysis/military (signals)

• Themilitary,bioscience,banking,social media, data mining, qualitative and quantitative research

• Researchinuniversityorinindustry.The Jonathan Rosen event gave confidence

• ProjectCoordination,R&Dinindustry

Your dream in an ideal world?

• Thisverytechnology–tobuildaMedical Bionics industry in Australia

• Lowcostmedicaldevicesforthethird world

• Remotecontrolsfortoysandinstallations for children! (Have another life in the creative arts)

• Roboticsandbionicsforhealth(anddefence)

• Notinterestedinsettingupannewcompany or system to make money, but to be involved in any new development which involves brain-machine interface

• Icoulddomoreepidemiology/dataanalysis. I’m happy as I am with my current work, with or without some teaching

• TeachBusinessMaths–orengineering in industry, but academics get tenured income. Be a venture capitalist – to be altruistic

• MRI(again)orBionicdevices– such as implanted sleep apnoea using electrical stimulation

• Commercialisationofmedicaldevices/medical bionics

Are there any downsides of your choices so far?

• Thepressureoncommercialisationand the race to market. The priority of the project is closer to market KPI. Also Supervisors are too preoccupied with publishing potential and the pure vs applied dichotomy

• Therearenone!Ifoundnosilos–BVA was very open with access to other teams/expertise

• Notbeingabletopublish(infactdidn’t prove to be an impediment in the end for an entry to academia)

• Itwasagreatexperience,moderated by the industry-university conflict / conundrum

• Itissadthattheindustry(potential)is so small that we will need to go away from home/Australia, family and friends, to get industry experience


• Commercialisationisslowandultraconservative – for still untested technology.

• Careerstability–BVAisanexpensive project – long term projects such as this are questionable for myself as they are a career risk if they fail.

• Paylevelsareverymodest–theyare no better in Japan. But balanced by the research lifestyle advantages of choice, opportunities, fascination, and job satisfaction.

• Clinicalworktakessolong–thisholds up findings for the next stage of development. Also because of strict animal ethics they can’t do some things which would speed up development. Some genetics work is not necessarily possible.

How are you giving back to strengthen the field?

• Iwouldlovetosupervisestudents but being in an industry management job makes this difficult structurally. Already do regular guest lectures at Masters of BioMedical Engineering at UNSW and undergraduates at Sydney. Informally contribute to course content.

• LecturinginnewRMITrole

• IdoteachintheundergraduateandMasters of medical Imaging course

• Yes,whileinBVAIwasoneoffivesupervisors of a PhD

• Ihaveatwoyeargrantwith St Vincent’s hospital and academically train students

• Notyet,butwouldliketo

• IteachintheMastersofElectronicsand Biomedical courses

• SuperviseMastersstudents

• Notsupervisingorteachingyet, but I try to help new students

Some “last words”, from face-to-face interviews

• AspartoftheinductiontotheBVA Consortium everybody would benefit by experiencing a SIM (simulation of blindness exercise).

• PeoplecometoBVAwithsuchdiverse entry points and skill sets that it is difficult to provide specific upskilling for all. Consortium Members tended to seek out timely technical help wherever it was hosted, however, some of this agility and initiative may have been facilitated by the generalist networking events and new social skills of the BVA program in the first place!

• Alllevelsofrolesneedtrainingin collaboration/coordination – as difficulties encountered are not entirely due to personality differences, but simply knowing how to share skills in doing this hard job.

• Acoupleofrespondentsmentionedthe value of the additional Internship requirements of the Melbourne University (Engineering) Model as potential for preparing future Postgraduates/researchers for personal and management skills. (Something to watch?)

• Itwouldbegoodtohaveaprofessional group for the medical bionics field to unite and support as well as lobby for the industry to Government and potential funding sources.

• Therecouldbemoretrainingabout how to move on, post-BVA, especially if this environment is all they have known.

• Somerespondentsstatedthatunderthe BVA Consortium there was little opportunity time or requirement for academic researchers – even if still in their home academic institutions – to publish, or requirement to develop findings to publishable, peer reviewed condition for KPIs, in favour of experimental testing of incremental BVA developments in the race to deliver the BVA Project.

• However,themostvaluedBVAevents or offerings across cohorts were those (such as the Research Retreat, regular seminars and major conferences) which satisfied the surface or underlying need for cross-connection between multi-disciplinary research groups and skills – just to know what was there, for later reference, problem solving, rescue, reassurance or collaboration.


This feedback underscored the Consortium as a “learning laboratory” in itself – one PhD student said that he had been able to borrow from one design field and by using different testing methods was able to create an entirely new technique – it has been “like doing a big puzzle together”. Or, an early career researcher who has moved on for a tenured academic position, “Being with the best and brightest opens doors”.

So while the Consortium structure may not have been comfortable for every type of personality, it was a theme throughout the interviews – that once the ice was broken the traditional “silos” between departments and between universities were, for the purposes of common BVA problem solving, removed, open to access which in other inter-academic situations would be considered inappropriate and intrusive.

“It is a balance – risky opportunities can bring great experience.”

BVA student and early career researcher report

Documents

Transcript of BVA student and early career researcher report