As the capability exchange theme lead within the ITRC, my vision, and aim are to create a platform for others to build collaborations and advance the Centre as a leading research frontier at the nexus of Indigenous and Transcultural research. This is approached by leveraging on best practices elsewhere - inviting a global network of scholars to become a part of ITRC as a member and share their insights and knowledge on how to undertake Indigenous and Transcultural research across a range of countries such as Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Taiwan, and in contexts such as food, media, tourism, and agriculture.
In canvassing capability exchange for the ITRC as it builds a global presence and reputation, I draw upon Yap and Yu’s (2016) framework to position capability as a conduit of resource management, and steering these towards dedicated outcomes. Central to the notion of capability exchange is the embedding of individuals within their families and extended kinship ties, clans, and First Nations or Country affiliations.
This demonstrates capability exchange as a relational construct that is aligned with UniSC’s wider strategic imperatives of generating societal impact from the research engagements that we are privy to. In the pipeline over the coming months are guest speakers from different countries, as well as an ITRC symposium to showcase diverse topics and create networking opportunities.
I also intend to speak with other Australian higher education institutions such as the University of Melbourne to hear about their newly launched Doctorate of Indigenous Studies, as well as the exciting developments at Western Sydney University in the construction of their new Indigenous Centre of Excellence. In summary, these ties formulate domestic and international links to propel ITRC further as a prominent research centre.