(a) Below is a brief description of the study's scope, objectives and proposed nature.
(i) Study scope: Attain (and report on) an improved qualitative understanding of the characteristics of Australia's active research workforce , including the:
- different modes of employment and roles in which research active staff are employed;
- skills sought by employers;
- strategies employers adopt to access and/or recruit relevant skills;
- contact channels/networks used by employers to convey demand to suppliers (and vice versa); and
- anticipated demand for research active staff by employers into the future. (ii) Study objectives: The study will contribute to addressing this need by:
- Developing an understanding of the key characteristics of a cross-section of Australian employers' existing research workforces and the factors (internal and external) which may influence those characteristics;
- Identifying the (both research and non research) skills sought by employers for their research active staff with respect to their current and/or future research workforces and the mechanisms they adopt to access relevant skills;
- Identifying any current and emerging issues faced by employers in accessing required skills and strategies adopted to address these issues; and
- Identifying contact channels/networks used by employers to access research active staff supply (and vice versa). (iii) Study nature: The study will comprise two key elements:
- A series of interviews with employers of research active staff across a cross-section of researcher employers including up to 50 businesses (small, medium and large enterprises) and a selection of universities, non-for-profit organisations including the medical research institutes, publicly funded research agencies Commonwealth agencies or departments employing research active staff and not-for-profit organisations; and
- A selection of case studies, including one or more organisations from each of the following employer groups:
- Businesses employing research active staff.;
- Publicly funded research agencies;
- Medical research institutes;
- Universities; and
- Commonwealth agencies or departments employing research active staff. (b) The Department's requirements are set out in more detail in Schedule 1.
(c) The study will be overseen by the Department and a representative stakeholder group (to be known as the Employer Demand subgroup).
(d) Any contract entered into as a result of this RFT will be based on the Draft Form of Contract. However, the Department may vary the terms and conditions (see clause 26(a)). | 
