Going to Adelaide University? You just might be…
The merger of UniSA and University of Adelaide promises to shake up everything from student opportunities to South Australia’s economic complexity – and it’s not just marketing speak.
When two universities join forces, you might expect a lot of corporate jargon about “synergies” and “optimisation” – however, the creation of the new Adelaide University is shaping up to be more revolutionary than just combining admin offices.
It’s set to become Australia’s largest educator of domestic students and will break down invisible institutional walls, delivering greater educational equality for all South Australians.
Think first in family to go to uni, mature age students, First Nations people and those who’ve given up their education dreams for the reality of paying bills.
Then there’s the university’s output, with its research aiming to create societal and economic impact at a local, national and global level.
So, how will this happen?
The merger brings together two institutions with surprisingly complementary strengths.
One such example is in STEM: UniSA’s muscle lies in engineering, IT and strong industry collaboration, while the University of Adelaide brings heavyweight credentials in science, engineering, maths and IT, plus a focus on foundational research outcomes.
Put them together and you’ve got a STEM powerhouse that could propel South Australia’s economy even higher.
Graduates should also quickly step into jobs, thanks to stronger alignment between the new university’s courses, research themes and industry needs.
“I think it will be massively beneficial both to industry and to the state,” says Professor Jacqui Ramagge, Executive Dean of UniSA STEM.
“At the moment, if [individual universities] want to collaborate on things, we need to involve two different administrative processes; everything is in duplicate…Whereas those things can be streamlined if you’re addressing one institution, but you have twice the capability bringing a much larger scale and discipline mix together.”
Professor Jacqui Ramagge
Increasing our capacity for research matters more than you might think.
Australia has been sliding down the global rankings when it comes to economic complexity – dropping from 60th to 93rd place among 133 countries this century, according to Harvard Growth Lab’s Economic Complexity Index.
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Meanwhile, competitors like Japan (1st), the UK (8th), and China (18th) are racing ahead in the ranking, which is based on the number, ubiquity and complexity of a country’s exports.
This isn’t just about bragging rights – according to its creators, the index has been shown to predict future economic growth better than any other single measure.
The new Adelaide University aims to help reverse this trend by supercharging areas where the state already has skin in the game.
“We can make a big difference in spaces where the state has invested a great deal,” Jacqui explains, “such as energy and agriculture – and areas related to that, which include, for example, things like sustainable aviation fuel – and also defence or national security, because that’s a major endeavour in South Australia.”
Professor Katrina Falkner
Executive Dean of STEM at the University of Adelaide Professor Katrina Falkner says the state also presents the perfect backdrop for the future of areas like tech and renewables.
“Adelaide is brimming with talent and innovation is at our doorstep,” she notes.
“We’re home to the largest biotech and medical precinct in the southern hemisphere, along with more than 100 companies that make Technology Park, the impressive Australian Institute of Machine Learning and the newly established Lot Fourteen – a gateway for transformative knowledge.
“We’re also fast becoming a global leader in the transition to renewable energy use with projects that are looking to maximise Australia’s natural coastline for sustainable offshore energy production.”
Adelaide University has identified five future-making research themes that will shape the relevant shifts our society needs: Creative & Cultural, Defence & National Security, Personal & Societal Health, Sustainable Green Transition and Food, Agriculture & Wine.
It’s about building on existing strengths while pushing into new territory.
“South Australia is already perhaps the most significant player in this space outside of Canberra,” Jacqui says regarding defence research.
But perhaps the most exciting part isn’t about high-tech labs or research papers – it’s about opening doors for people who might have thought university wasn’t for them.
Katrina, who is the newly appointed Adelaide University Pro Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching, is excited about taking on the role.
“The creation of Adelaide University is giving us the opportunity to rethink and reimagine how we deliver education to new generations of learners – and that’s exciting,” she says.
“Education enabled by technology innovations like AI and digitally rich content will see students engage in new and accessible ways – and keep pace with what’s happening beyond the classroom.”
The new institution is being built from the ground up with a focus on educational equality, including specific attention to improving access for people from lower socio-economic groups and those living in the state’s regions.
One innovative example already in play is UniSA’s software engineering apprenticeship program, run in partnership with BAE and other industry players.
Students become apprentices, spending four days a week working at a company and one day studying at uni – it’s what Jacqui calls “work integrated learning on steroids”.
“Mature age students often they have family and financial responsibilities, and they can’t afford to leave work in order to study,” she says. “Being able to provide an environment where they can earn and learn [is] going to be critical into the future.”
The new Adelaide Academy will see this extended even further, with greater access to extra-curricular industry engagement with global companies such as Accenture and Deloitte across the institution.
Adelaide University also aims to be number one nationally for the delivery of online education, making tertiary learning a reality for more diverse learners and with more flexibility.
Every course for 2026 is being built from scratch, either combining the best of both universities’ existing programs or creating entirely new offerings.
International students will make up a quarter of the 70,000 strong student body
Katrina says that by co-designing courses with industry employers, students will be at the cutting edge.
“Our academics and teaching innovation experts are working arm in arm with industry to ensure courses are aligning to rapid advances in knowledge and discovery, and what employers are looking for.
“We’re also designing programs that are more flexible and modular, so students can have greater control over how they choose to study.”
“Education transforms lives,” says Jacqui, who was the first in her family to go to university. “It’s the best investment that one can make in oneself, the best investment that society can make in an individual.”
That ‘investment’ in Jacqui, arguably, benefitted the entire world when she ran a service evaluation to introduce self-testing for COVID during the height of the pandemic. Without her contribution, RAT tests would still be nurse-administered, rather than easy to purchase when needed.
Jacqui points out that if we assume talent is equally distributed throughout society, not making education accessible to everyone means we’re missing out on huge potential.
The new university is also positioning itself as a one-stop shop for industry collaboration; instead of businesses having to choose between knocking on UniSA’s door or the University of Adelaide’s, they’ll have access to all expertise through a single point of contact.
This streamlined approach could be a game-changer for research funding and commercialisation opportunities.
It’s not just about the paperwork. When it comes to education costs, universities don’t operate like your local coffee shop – they’re what economists call a ‘Veblen good’, where price is seen as a proxy for quality.
“If you charge anything less, what are you saying? You’re saying that education you’re providing is lesser in some way,” says Jacqui, explaining that because the Australian Government sets the price for degrees, universities here differentiate via their non-core content.
By combining resources, the new university can deliver core programs more efficiently while expanding into specialised courses and research that neither institution could tackle alone.
There’ll also be more opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaboration that may lead to breakthroughs with ‘wicked problems’, ultimately, empowering whole communities to live better lives.
Students, researchers and academics will have greater support to imagine a bright future
UniSA and the University of Adelaide have breaking barriers and convention for many years when it comes to research, says Katrina.
“We’re building on incredible foundations, bringing more curious minds together in a place where ideas and disciplines will collide to make new discoveries that would have otherwise been impossible.”
Jacqui says the university will maintain its focus on fundamental research – the kind that might not pay off for a decade but could lead to the next big breakthrough.
“Industry tends to have a three-to-five-year horizon on research,” she explains. “Without [fundamental research], we would be, as a country, in real trouble, because what we would be saying is, 10 years down the track, we won’t have anything to build on.”
The aspiration is for Adelaide University to become a truly international institution, attracting global players and collaborators to South Australia.
It’s about creating impact at every level – from transforming individual lives to reshaping the state’s economic future.
Katrina hopes to see more diversity in STEM as the “game changer we need” to accelerate “real progress”.
“To solve complex challenges, we need to ask ourselves – whose voice is missing?” she says.
“The power of diversity in problem-solving is undeniable – pushing the boundaries of both experiential research and providing a richer and more inclusive learning environment and experience for students.
“That’s how we’ll unlock new ways of thinking and doing.”
Jacqui’s own aspirations are to “make a big social difference” and “a big intellectual difference” on every level – individual, community, state, national and global.
She shares a story about President Kennedy asking the cleaner at NASA what his job was and the reply being, “I’m helping to put a man on the moon”.
“It’s really important that we all understand that whatever our individual contributions are – whether we’re delivering courses, doing research, doing administration and support – we’re all helping to make this aspiration a reality, to deliver on the mission of Adelaide University.”
Learn more about the new Adelaide University.
