What is the Research Festival?

The UC Research Festival highlights the University of Canberra’s research output and how it contributes to the community and beyond. The festival features public lectures, workshops, panel discussions and interactive events that connect researchers with industry, government and the community.

The 2024 event focused on themes like sustainability, public health and education. It also launched the “Life of a CBRn installation” – a visual timeline with examples of research that have impacted Canberrans across their lifetime.

Major events

University students, alumni, staff and community members enjoyed a variety of events throughout the festival, such as:

Game Changers: Elevating Women’s Performance and Health in Sport – An event focused on the strategic direction of UC’s sport-related education offerings, research, infrastructure, partnerships and community engagement. Leading experts researching women in sport hosted presentations showcasing the developments in the field.

UC Ginninderry Community Day – A celebration of Ginninderry’s unique community and environment, which included family-focused events such as a kite festival, educational presentations by UC researchers and an educational presentation on the ponds and waterways around Ginninderry.

Life of a CBRn Installation – An experiential timeline of a hypothetical Canberran's life. The display shows how research from the University of Canberra has interacted with or impacted them at different stages of their life.

How Deliberative is Australian Democracy? – A panel discussion focused on ways to amplify marginalised voices and the quality of political conversations in Australia.

Robots Among Us – A debate on the ethical implications of creating robots with self-awareness and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

UC 2024 research highlights: Life of a CBRn

An exciting highlight of the festival was Life of a CBRn - an experiential timeline of a Canberran's life and how UC research has interacted with or impacted them at different stages across their life, from ‘Beginning’ to ‘Legacy’.

For example, UC’s research on Canberra’s water security, which means cleaner lakes for locals to stay healthy and enjoy recreational activities. Then, there is our work with local businesses, which led to the creation of UC’s Small Business Legal Advice Clinic, providing free advice with the assistance of UC law students.

Looking to the future

There’s no stopping the incredible output of UC researchers. Mark your calendars for the UC Research Festival in 2025 to celebrate our exciting accomplishments!

Keen to make an impact on future innovations yourself? Reach out to UC to discuss the best courses for you.