The Australian Technology Network (ATN) is a network of five leading universities from each mainland state of Australia, with a heritage of working closely with industry. The ATN was originally founded in 1975 as the "Directors of Central Institutes of Technology (DOCIT)", and later revived in 1999 in its present form.

The ATN's member universities are considered the most innovative and enterprising universities in Australia^[1]. Each ATN member university receives more media attention and first preferences than any other "universities of technology" in their respective states. All ATN member universities are featured in the Times Higher Education Supplement's "Top 200 Universities of the World" listing, and the network is considered to be the "technology-focussed" equivalent of Australia's "Group of Eight" universities^[2].

Members

History

The ATN originated in 1975 as the "Directors of Central Institutes of Technology (DOCIT)", a conference group consisting of the directors of Australia's leading "institutes of technology"^[2]. Each of DOCIT's original member institutions (NSWIT, QIT, RMIT, SAIT and WAIT) were located in the central business district of their respective state's capital city, hence they were deemed "central institutes of technology"^[2].

DOCIT founded its original member institutes' distinctiveness on their size (they enrolled almost one third of all full-time advanced education students), on the advanced level of their teaching (most of their programs were degrees rather than the diplomas like that of other advanced education instititions) and their conduct of applied research (DEET, 1993:18). They were therefore like a "technology-focussed" version of Australia's "Group of Eight" universities^[2].

DOCIT encountered too much opposition to its aspirations, and disbanded in 1982. The conference group was later revived in 1999 as the Australian Technology Network, consisting of: the Curtin University of Technology, Queensland University of Technology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of South Australia and University of Technology, Sydney^[2]. Each ATN member university was granted public university status between 1986 and 1992, however their antecedents make them some of the oldest tertiary institutions in Australia.

Today the ATN's member universities teach around 180,000 students, or almost 20% of Australia?s student population, and 1 in 4 international students in Australia^[1]. Its aim today is to help secure Australia?s reputation as the "clever country", contributing to its social and economic wealth by building strategic partnerships and undertaking solution-based research which is relevant to the expectations of industry and the community^[1].

References

See also

• List of universities in Australia
• Group of Eight (group of Australia's leading research-focussed universities)
• Sandstone Universities (informal group of Australia's oldest universities)
• Innovative Research Universities Australia (IRU Australia)
• Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee
• Ivy League (group of 8 universities in the northeastern United States)
• Russell Group (network of leading U.K. universities)
• 1994 Group (smaller research-led British universities, including York, Durham, and St Andrews)
• Coimbra Group (network of leading European universities)
• Group of Thirteen (G13) (network of leading Canadian universities)
• Institute of Technology

External links

• Australian Technology Network Homepage

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