La Trobe University has a vibrant and diverse research community with strong academic leadership. We are internationally recognised for the quality of our research and for a research strategy that promotes innovation, specialisation and collaboration.

Many of our academics have received national or international awards for their research, have extensive publication histories and make regular and major contributions to public debate in Australia and internationally.

La Trobe University is a member of the Innovative Research Universities (IRU) Australia, an alliance committed to the promotion of collaboration in research and education which collectively attracts more than A$340 million in funding per annum.

The University also has cooperation agreements with over 80 universities around the world, many of which involve joint research activities. The University is also home to over 30 University and faculty-based research centres and institutes.

Our research profile is strongly enhanced by the presence of the La Trobe University Research and Development Park. The park is the largest wholly University-owned and managed network of technology parks in Australia, focused on innovation, new product development and realisation, industry collaboration, and the commercialisation of intellectual property.

The research parks network covers La Trobe’s Melbourne, Bendigo and Albury-Wodonga campuses.

Milestones in research

• Awarded A$123.7 million in Federal Government funding to establish the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science in Melbourne and the La Trobe Rural Health School in Bendigo.

• Construction of A$230 million AgriBio, the centre for AgriBioscience at the Melbourne campus, a joint initiative with the State Department of Primary Industries. After completion in 2012, AgriBio will provide cutting edge research to improve productivity, fight disease and reduce environmental impact to protect Victoria’s A$9 billion agricultural sector.

• A foundation member of the Australian Synchrotron. La Trobe is signatory to a A$2.5 million five-year beamline partnership in association with a group of South Australian universities, enabling preferential access to 30 per cent of the facility’s capacity.

• Awarded funding for a A$30 million Federal Government medical Cooperative Research Centre, in association with research bodies, institutions and pharmaceutical companies.

• New A$1.5 million research initiative on the future of aged care services in country Victoria. The John Richards Initiative into Aged Care in Rural Communities was established at our Albury-Wodonga campus in 2007.

For information about research opportunities, prospective research postgraduates can click here.