1. Management report to Council Agenda item 6.5
Proposed MCC Chair in Climate Resilient Cities Council
Presenter: Geoff Lawler, Director City Planning and Infrastructure 28 April 2015
Purpose and background
1. In September 2014 the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne (UoM) wrote to the Lord Mayor
proposing that the Council and the University jointly sponsor a five-year professorial appointment of an
internationally recognised scholar called MCC Chair in Climate Resilient Cities. Refer to Attachment 2 for
a copy of this letter.
2. In November 2014 Council resolved to defer consideration of this item and requested management to:
2.1. explore opportunities for private funding to offset the financial commitment required by Council
2.2. report back to Council in April 2015 detailing:
2.2.1. any identified private funding opportunities
2.2.2. terms and conditions of the proposed sponsorship agreement with the UoM
2.2.3. governance arrangements for the agreement with the UoM.
3. The purpose of this report is to respond to the above.
Key issues
4. The proposal’s cost to Council will be limited to one-half of the Chair’s salary, a maximum total of
$687,350 over five years, ($137,470 per year), commencing in the 2015-16 financial year. Full funding of
the proposed Council contribution for the first year has been incorporated into the draft 2015-16 budget
prepared by management. Should Council wish to proceed these costs will be included within each
subsequent years’ budget. Any private funding sources will be used to offset these costs.
5. A number of potential private funding opportunities have been identified. Of these the Rockefeller
Foundation was considered the highest priority and has been approached to fund half of the Council’s
contribution for the Chair (that is 50 per cent of $687,350, or $343,675 over five years). The Foundation
expressed interest if the nature of the role was broadened to a “MCC Chair of Resilient Cities” which is
more in line with their 100 Resilient Cities program. UoM has agreed to this title change which broadens
the scope of the Chair's role to cover all aspects of the city's resilience, not just climate resilience. The
Rockefeller Foundation’s decision on funding is still pending.
6. Depending on the outcome from the Rockefeller Foundation, other potential private funding bodies will be
further investigated with the UoM.
7. This proposal represents a valuable opportunity to achieve Council’s Prosperous, Eco and Knowledge
City goals by:
7.1. combining the leading expertise of both organisations to provide practical solutions to improve
Melbourne’s resilience and that of cities worldwide
7.2. enhancing Melbourne’s national role as a leader in knowledge based urban resilience
7.3. leveraging Council’s investment to achieve a substantial increase in dedicated research resources.
UoM’s ambition is that the Chair will directly raise or facilitate the generation of up to $1million per
annum in research once the position has become established.
7.4. providing a new model for collaborative research, (refer Attachment 3).
8. Attachment 4 sets out terms, conditions and governance arrangements of the proposed agreement.
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2. Attachments:
1. Supporting attachment
2. Letter from Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne
3. A New Model for collaborative Research
4. Chair Sponsorship Agreement
2.
Recommendation from management
9. That Council:
9.1. Accepts the proposal to jointly sponsor a professorial appointment by the University of Melbourne
called the City of Melbourne Chair in Resilient Cities for five years from 1 July 2015.
9.2. Agrees to pre-commit funding of $137,470 for this purpose in each of the next five financial year
budgets, commencing in the 2015-16 financial year.
9.3. Authorises the Chief Executive Officer to:
9.3.1. enter into an agreement to execute the proposal.
9.3.2. nominate the officers identified to represent Council on the joint steering committee that
will govern the establishment and maintenance of the Chair.
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3. 1
Supporting Attachment
Legal
1. It is intended the Chair will be employed by the City of Melbourne. Council’s funding will be executed and
governed via a sponsorship agreement in accordance with the terms set out in Attachment 4.
Finance
2. The proposal’s cost to Council will be limited to one-half of the Chair’s salary, a maximum total of
$687,350 over five years, ($137,470 per year), commencing in the 2015-16 financial year. Full funding of
the proposed Council- contribution for the first year has been incorporated into the draft 2015-16 budget
prepared by management.
3. Should Council wish to proceed these costs will be accommodated within each subsequent years’ budget.
Any private funding sources will be used to offset these costs.
4. The University’s ambition is that the Chair will directly raise or facilitate generation of up to $1million per
annum in research once the position has become established.
5. Funding of a professorial Chair would be a new activity for Council. An Australian precedent exists at
Griffith University where two Chairs (Urban Management and Coastal Management) are fully funded by
the City of Gold Coast.
6. It is requested that Council also commit to identifying ongoing opportunities for research support through
Council programs and initiatives. A joint steering committee comprising senior officers from the Council
and the University of Melbourne would oversee this alignment, as well as the recruitment of Chair.
Conflict of interest
7. The presenter of this report (Director City Planning and Infrastructure) is an unpaid member of two course
advisory committees for the University of Melbourne.
8. The writer of this report (Manager City Research) is an unpaid member of the Australian Urban Research
Infrastructure Network AURIN advisory board.
Stakeholder consultation
9. Consultation has been undertaken with authorised representatives of the University of Melbourne.
Relation to Council policy
10. The objectives of this proposal are consistent with Council’s Prosperous, Eco and Knowledge City Goals
3, 4 and 5 respectively and urban planning objectives. In addition they also support Council’s international
engagement with the C40 Cities’ Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI and Rockefeller Foundation’s 100
Resilient Cities program.
11. The proposal also supports Council’s Goal 7 to ensure resources are managed well, by providing an
opportunity to significantly leverage Council’s contribution and research funds. The University’s ambition is
that the Chair will directly raise or facilitate generation of up to $1million per annum in research once the
position has become established.
Environmental sustainability
12. This proposal will increase resources dedicated to solving long-term environmental sustainability issues
for the city.
13. The recommendation is consistent with Council’s Zero Net Emissions by 2020 strategy, Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy, Urban Forest Strategy, Total Water Mark- City as Catchment strategy and
Knowledge City Strategy.
Attachment 1
Agenda item 6.5
Council
28 April 2015
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4. 1
Copy of Letter from Vice Chancellor, University of Melbourne
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5. 1
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6. 1
Attachment 3
Agenda item 6.5
Council
28 April 2015
A New Model for Collaborative Research
1. The City of Melbourne has a long history of working collaboratively with its universities. This has included
professional associations, funding PhD students and joint research studies. More recent examples can
be found in the Office of Knowledge Capital, Australian Research Council linkage grants and the
Knowledge City Strategy.
Recent City of Melbourne Activities - the Office of Knowledge Capital (OKC)
2. In December 2007 Council approved the establishment of the OKC, in partnership with Melbourne’s eight
metropolitan universities and the Committee for Melbourne, for a three year term, ending on 30 June
2011. The mission of the office was to collaborate to develop and promote Melbourne as Australia’s
Knowledge Capital.
3. Funding for the OKC’s operational costs of approximately $300,000 per annum was provided by the
universities as founding partners and based on a three-tiered funding model, with City of Melbourne
contributing $100,000 annually.
4. The OKC had varying degrees of success. Highlights include the development of the Student Welcome
Desk at Melbourne Airport and Melbourne Knowledge Week.
5. Collective research across all universities proved problematic and less successful. In the review of the
OKC, the universities’ preference was for future collaboration to focus on achieving Council’s specific
aims and objectives. Council’s Knowledge City strategy was designed to address this point.
Recent City of Melbourne Activities – Council Research (ARC) linkage grant applications
6. In April 2013 Council approved the pre-commitment of a maximum of 10 per cent of Council’s research
budget each year to fund ARC linkage grant applications together with new guidelines to manage the
application process for ARC linkage grants. An important element in the guidelines was to ensure the
ARC projects delivered specific, practical outcomes for Council.
Recent City of Melbourne Activities - The Knowledge City Strategy 2014-18
7. Council adopted its Knowledge City Strategy in October 2014. The Strategy outlines four principal roles
for the City of Melbourne in its support and promotion of the knowledge sector:
7.1. Promoter: to position Melbourne as the region’s knowledge capital and raise awareness of its public
and sectoral strengths and opportunities.
7.2. Leader: to lead by example in innovation, knowledge transfer and related knowledge sector
activities.
7.3. Partner: to use existing networks to involve the knowledge sector in the implementation of
initiatives.
7.4. Enabler: to assist the growth of emerging businesses by providing infrastructure, information,
financial support and connections to networks.
8. The Proposed MCC Chair in Resilient Cities has the potential to deliver across all four roles.
9. In particular, the University of Melbourne’s aim to directly raise or facilitate generation of up to $1million
per annum in research, once the position has become established, specifically addresses the desired
“Future state” of the “Partner role actions” described on page 15 of the Knowledge City Strategy which
states:
9.1. “The proportion of research undertaken collaboratively is 20 per cent of the City of Melbourne’s total
research activity. The City of Melbourne’s research budget leverages the collaborative budget by a
factor of three by 2018”.
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7. Other Models for Collaborative Research
10. Although funding of a professorial Chair would be a new activity for Council, an Australian precedent
exists between the GCCC and both Griffith and Bond Universities. In addition, similar, but more extensive,
international models exist in Fukuoka, Japan and Helsinki, Finland.
Other Models for Collaborative Research - Gold Coast City Council (GCCC)
11. The GCCC has over recent years supported three positions:
11.1. Two Chairs at Griffith University in Urban Management and Coastal Management are fully funded
by Gold Coast City Council for three years. The Gold Coast CC enjoys close working relationships
with the professors they support meeting them regularly to shape their research and teaching
agenda and to assess milestones.
11.2. A Professor of Sustainable Development and Design at Bond University has expired and was not
be renewed.
Other Models for Collaborative Research - Fukuoka, Japan
12. Fukuoka has one organisation called "Network of Fukuoka Universities" (NFU) established in June 2008,
a collaboration between industry, academia and government. The NFU’s aim is to implement various
projects to turn Fukuoka into a “university town” and “students' town”.
13. The organisation, originally started as regular meetings between the mayor of Fukuoka and university
presidents, has evolved into a more extensive university-government-industry collaboration in the
Fukuoka metropolitan area. Through various projects it promotes Fukuoka’s metropolitan area and
universities located in the area, throughout Japan, while contributing to the development of educational
research and regional revitalization.
14. The NFU comprises the 20 universities in Fukuoka metropolitan area, Fukuoka Chamber Commerce &
Industry and Fukuoka City. Its activities comprise:
14.1. Promotion of inter-university collaboration
14.2. Revitalisation of student activities
14.3. Promotion of collaboration between industry and university, as well as community-based
cooperation and
14.4. Information dissemination.
Other Models for Collaborative Research - Helsinki, Finland
15. Helsinki has employed a number of models to collaborate with its universities including: professorial
positions, the “Metropolitan Region Urban Research and Cooperation Program”, “Innovative City®” and
“Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences”.
16. Helsinki together with the Ministry for Education and University of Helsinki created six professorships in
1998. In 2003 three other cities, Espoo, Vantaa and Lahti, and another university, the Helsinki Technical
University (later Aalto University), collaborated to extend this to nine professorships. Seven professors
were accommodated at the University of Helsinki and two at the Helsinki Technical University.
17. This collaboration’s research fields were: European metropolitan planning, urban history, social policy,
urban sociology, urban economics, urban ecology, urban ecosystem, urban technological systems, and
urban geography. For the City of Helsinki, and for the entire Helsinki Region, this was a unique
opportunity to advance urban research of high quality, to cooperate in the fulfilment of a joint research
program, and to make the urban dimension more visible in the university curricula.
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8. 18. In 2010 this model of professorships in urban research was modified. Although the professorships
continued to exist, the City ceased to fund them (mostly due to limited interaction and lack of concrete
results from the City’s point of view). A new model was developed in response to Finland’s new national
metropolitan policy.
19. The focus of the research in this new model was on the specific needs of the metropolitan region. The aim
was to achieve an agreement between all stakeholders: the cities, universities and universities of applied
sciences in the region and the state administration, in order to strengthen urban research and to advance
the use of urban research findings and scientific knowledge. This resulted in the first “Metropolitan Region
Urban Research and Cooperation Program”.
20. The second Metropolitan Region Urban Research and Cooperation Program, for the period 2015-2018,
has just commenced.
21. In addition to the above, “Innovative City®” has been a bilateral partnership programme between the Aalto
University and the City of Helsinki, since 2000. The programme will partly be merged in to the “Urban
Academy (UA) from next year”. This will be a collaboration platform for the University of Helsinki, Aalto-
university and the City of Helsinki.
22. The UA will bring teaching and research from lecture halls and laboratories to the city, its streets and to its
citizens and decision-makers. Its aim is to transform teaching and research into a collaborative action of
learning and impact. UA will foster the learning process of all parties involved by using the Learning
Alliances approach (multi-stakeholder involvement to enhance shared learning) and problem-based
learning for challenges and wicked problems that the city faces.
23. Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences is owned by five cities in the metropolitan region. The
City of Helsinki is the main owner. Metropolia is the largest university of applied sciences in Finland. It
has 16,800 students and four fields of study: Culture, Business, Health Care and Social Services and
Technology.
24. Metropolia is about to concentrate its operations on four campuses. The biggest campus will be built in
Myllypuro, Helsinki. The project is led by the City of Helsinki. The campus project will approach and
collaborate with companies and citizens of the surrounding area. A plan on how the new campus will
enhance economic development and business collaboration is being made by Metropolia, its owners and
other stakeholders.
Conclusion: A New Model for Collaborative Research
25. The City of Melbourne can draw on its past experience and that of other cities to develop the Proposed
MCC Chair in Resilient Cities as a new model for collaborative research, provided the following critical
points are addressed to ensure:
25.1. positive and constructive interaction occurs between the partners
25.2. the desired leveraging of Council funds is successful
25.3. concrete results are achieved from the City’s point of view and
25.4. costs to Council are maintained at a sustainable level via contributions from addition funding
partners.
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9. 1
Attachment 4
Agenda item 6.5
Council
28 April 2015
CHAIR OF RESILIENT CITIES AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
AND
CITY OF MELBOURNE
Purpose
The purpose of this Agreement is to establish the MCC Chair of Resilient Cities (“Chair”) within the University of
Melbourne’s Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute to:
• take action to strengthen Melbourne’s resilience against man-made and natural events
• undertake research that informs and enhances policy response to environmental change
• undertake research and determine responses that acknowledge the interdependencies of physical,
social and economic factors in framing effective policy action to secure and enhance resilience
• secure and enhance the community’s resilience and preparedness in planning for and recovering from
extreme events
Term and Termination
The term of this agreement will be five years effective from (date to be agreed). This term may be extended
subject to agreement by both parties. Either party may terminate the agreement at any time upon written notice
four weeks in advance.
Finance
The City of Melbourne will pay the University of Melbourne a total of $687,350 over five years, comprising
$137,470 per year to cover 50% of the full salary costs of the chair in each of the next five financial year budgets,
commencing in the 2015-16 financial year.
The University of Melbourne will cover the remaining costs of the post including appointment and housing
expenses. In addition the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute will provide $10,000 per year for a base
research and engagement budget for the Chair.
Commitments
The Chair will have the full support of the University’s leadership including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research,
Provost, Dean of Architecture Building and Planning and Vice Principle Engagement.
The University of Melbourne will assist the Chair to raise or facilitate generation of up to $5,000,000 over the
term of the agreement comprising up to $1,000,000 per year.
The City of Melbourne will commit to partnering with the University of Melbourne to explore possibilities for
further funding from public, private and philanthropic sources and identify ongoing opportunities for research
support through Council programs and initiatives.
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10. Governance
A Steering Committee comprising nominated representatives from the City of Melbourne and University of
Melbourne will oversee selection and operation of the Chair.
The Steering Committee will agree key performance indicators for research, teaching and community
consultation.
The Steering Committee representatives from the City of Melbourne will be:
• The Director City Planning and Infrastructure
• The Manager City Research
• The Chief Resilience Officer OR Manager Sustainability.
The Steering Committee representatives from the University of Melbourne will be:
• The Dean Architecture Building and Planning
• The Director Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute
• A representative to be nominated by the University of Melbourne who will then be replaced by the Chair
of Resilient Cities once the Chair has been appointed.
The Steering Committee will agree meeting times location, duration and agendas as required to implement this
agreement.
Others may be invited to join or participate in meetings, including subject matter experts and representatives
from third parties.
Selection of the Chair
The Steering Committee will agree the selection process and criteria for the Chair. The University will appoint
the Chair.
The Chair will be a scholar of international standing with a demonstrated ability to:
• Engender and lead collaboration between the research and policy communities
• Foster research that anticipates and responds to policy necessities
• Provide high level high quality advice to urban leadership
• Organise and deliver research based training that enhances government capacity and policy response
Location of the Chair
The Chair will be located at the University of Melbourne in the Melbourne’s Melbourne Sustainable Society
Institute. The City of Melbourne will also make “hot desk” office space available to the Chair.
Reporting Arrangements
The Chair will report to the Dean, Architecture Building and Planning in order to implement the work program.
Role of the Chair
The Chair will be a Professorial position at the University of Melbourne with full access to the privileges and
resources of the University.
The Chair will provide a key point of leadership to align the resilience activities of both organisations.
The Chair will play a cross campus role to:
• identify and link the University of Melbourne’s resources in the fields of urban sustainability and
resilience.
• identify partnership and funding opportunities
Work Program
The Steering Committee will agree the work program of the Chair.
The work program will be a collaborative resource, providing a means for connecting and augmenting the
resilience expertise within the University of Melbourne and City of Melbourne.
The Chair will:
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11. DRAFT ONLY
• work to improve urban resilience science and policy response through collaboration and leadership
• capitalise on all of the university’s resources to work on research issues specific to the City of
Melbourne.
• work with the City of Melbourne, its key stakeholders, partners and networks including the Rockefeller
Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
• win grants, attract students in post graduate research degrees, build a team of professionals working in
urban resilience and leverage the City of Melbourne’s investment in this area
• develop Work Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunities within the program of research
• assist the City of Melbourne to assert and enhance Melbourne’s national role as a leader in knowledge
based urban resilience.
• connect and augment the expertise and resources of both organisations in the fields of sustainability and
resilience
• work to enhance Melbourne’s national and international role as a leader in knowledge based urban
sustainability and resilience
• demonstrate the wider benefits of this form of collaboration between the City of Melbourne and its
universities.
In particular the Chair will focus on developing programs and projects addressing the following:
• key areas of infrastructure planning, urban form, building structure and quality and energy efficiency to
respond to improve the city’s resilience and response to changing environments
• green infrastructure in public and private building structures and planning requirements
• the community’s preparedness in planning for and recovery from extreme weather events including
localised flooding
• increasing the community’s understanding of the importance of energy, transport and resilience factors
when making housing choices
• Insurance issues and implications
• new business opportunities arising from the above
Dispute Resolution
Any dispute will be referred to the Steering Committee for resolution. The City of Melbourne Chief Executive
Officer and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne will agreed to a mediator and terms of mediation
for any matter which cannot be resolved by the Steering Committee.
Confidentiality
Any confidential information of the City of Melbourne provided to the Chair will be kept confidential by the Chair.
Trade Marks and Intellectual property
Any intellectual property brought into existence by the Chair will jointly vest in the City of Melbourne and The
University of Melbourne.
Conflict of Interest
In the event of a conflict of interest arising for any member of the Steering Committee matter will be immediately
tabled and the member will abstain from any dialogue relating to that matter.
Changes to this Agreement
Any changes to this agreement will be agreed by the Steering Committee and amended in writing signed by the
The City of Melbourne Chief Executive Officer and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.
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12. Signed for and on behalf of Signature
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE by ….. Date
Signed for and on behalf of Signature
THE CITY OF MELBOURNE by: Date
(name):
(position):
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