Establishment of the National Centre of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional (SiMERR) Australia

The SiMERR National Centre was established at the University of New England (UNE) involving a collaborative model of groups (referred to as state/territory Hubs) of at least four academics in nine universities throughout Australia. Each state and territory is represented. The Hubs together with the SiMERR National Centre, referred to collectively as SiMERR Australia, provide a national platform to address rural school-education issues. Generating and sustaining university collaborations requires careful administrative and personnel planning with each partner university. This paper considers important aspects in the establishment of SiMERR Australia and has three primary foci. Firstly, we outline major processes involved in forming SiMERR Australia. Secondly, we report on evaluation and some of the successes. Thirdly, we discuss issues and challenges related to university collaborations in research and professional development for rural schools across Australia.