Software provider UNIT4 has today announced a significant contract with Melbourne-based Monash University, Australia’s largest higher education institution and one of the world’s most global universities.
The partnership comes as Monash University has looks to manage and support its global research practice handling grants and contracts, which currently average around $300 million per annum.
"Controlled research management practices are crucial for universities with ambitions in this area," said Dr. Ian Tebbett, CIO at Monash University. "Few solutions exist on the market that can meet requirements end to end (so) state-of-the-art IT systems that draw the best out of our professional staff and engage them in delivering on our institutional goals are essential. UNIT4’s research management solution, including the unique Research Costing and Pricing, along with the company’s experience in the sector, promises the control universities like Monash require to be world leading in the field of research."
Monash currently enrolls 63,000 students every year, with 16,000 staff based across campuses in Australia, Malaysia and South Africa. The university has significant research ambitions, with a wide network of research and teaching collaborations, and involvement in more than 150 fields of research studies, and is looking to become one of the best universities within the Asia-Pacific region over the next ten years.
The deal marks UNIT4’s first deal outside of the UK for its new Agresso Research Costing and Pricing application, developed with the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Together with Agresso Award Management and Agresso Project Costing and Billing, the solution will meet Monash’s end-to-end requirement for software to manage the full spectrum of research related processes.
UNIT4 already provides software solutions to more than 400 education and research institutions, making it the leading supplier to the sector in the UK and Scandinavia. It has operations in 26 countries worldwide, and recorded revenues of €490.5 million worldwide in 2013.
"Monash University is a highly respected institution globally and a flagship customer for UNIT4 as we continue on our quest to become the leading provider of education and research management solutions globally," said Ab van Marion, chief operating officer at UNIT4 Group. "Globally research is becoming a strategic activity and differentiator for universities and those that manage it well are seeing rewards. Together with our Australian Education and Research partner S1 Consulting, we adopt a pragmatic approach to helping universities leverage their knowledge, infrastructure and expertise to help drive successful adoption of UNIT4’s research management technology. S1 Consulting and UNIT4 have been successful because of our joint comprehensive technical and business expertise and our ability to merge the two virtues seamlessly. Our team will provide direct actionable strategic advice, domain expertise, technology and thought leadership to Monash."
