- Posted on 26 Sep 2025
- 3-minute read
Industries and organisations are facing escalating environmental and social challenges—from climate change to governance issues and public distrust in the Australian public and private sectors.
The complexity and speed of change is also intensifying and the need for innovative, future-focused capabilities continues to grow, demanding fresh approaches to thinking, leadership and action.
So, how can we support graduates to innovate ethically, lead with integrity, and respond to uncertainty with purpose—while equipping them with the capabilities to drive meaningful, long-term impact across sectors?
Project overview
This project seeks to develop a rigorous conceptual approach for evidencing the link between future oriented capabilities and graduates' capacity to create impact in professional settings. Addressing a critical knowledge gap, it contributes new insights to the fields of education, sustainability, organisational management, and policy research.
The research also aims to spark action among educators, industries, and policymakers to rethink how undergraduate and postgraduate programs prepare graduates to create long-term social and environmental impact across diverse sectors—moving beyond the narrow focus on employability.
The project investigates the following questions
- What capabilities empower graduates to address complex problems and create meaningful impact?
- How do these capabilities create impact within organisations?
- What are the enablers and barriers to applying future-oriented capabilities in practice?
- How can evidence of the impact of future-oriented capabilities inform teaching, professional education, and future research initiatives?
By answering these questions, the research team aim to strengthen the transformative potential of education and professional practice.
Future-focused capabilities aren’t just about fitting in; they’re about giving graduates the tools to reshape the world for a fairer, more sustainable future.
Our impact
Currently, no comprehensive frameworks exist linking graduates’ capabilities to their real-world impact. To fill this knowledge gap, the research team will create a framework to collect tangible evidence on graduates’ contributions to a socially and environmentally just world, that will have a profound and far-reaching impact globally.
Through this work, UTS continues to strengthen its position as a trusted knowledge leader and front-runner in future capabilities research. Importantly, the project recognises that future-oriented capabilities are inherently transdisciplinary—cutting across traditional fields to enable collaboration and systems thinking, which are all essential for addressing complex challenges of today, and those of tomorrow.
Related reading
If you are interested to read more in this research area, here are some additional related resources.
- Educating for sustainable and equitable futures
- Educating for societal transitions
- Future-oriented capabilities impact framework
- Download project flyer (PDF, 400KB)
Society’s inability to discuss and navigate complex and contested topics contributes to Australia’s underperformance on the nation’s biggest issues.
We live and work in a world with diverse, complex challenges. Navigating them requires new, collaborative and innovative methods, such as transdisciplinarity.
Committed to continually evolving the media landscape in new and vibrant ways, the ABC partnered with UTS, engaging students from their award-winning Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation degree (BCII), to investigate new ways of targeting and increasing engagement with young people across Australia.
It’s the year 2050. A patient has just left his doctor’s office clutching a prescription. The treatment? Attendance at hologram-based Pink Floyd concert and a restorative gardening activity, delivered through something called the SBS Third Space Program.
Society’s inability to discuss and navigate complex and contested topics contributes to Australia’s underperformance on the nation’s biggest issues.
We live and work in a world with diverse, complex challenges. Navigating them requires new, collaborative and innovative methods, such as transdisciplinarity.
Committed to continually evolving the media landscape in new and vibrant ways, the ABC partnered with UTS, engaging students from their award-winning Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation degree (BCII), to investigate new ways of targeting and increasing engagement with young people across Australia.
It’s the year 2050. A patient has just left his doctor’s office clutching a prescription. The treatment? Attendance at hologram-based Pink Floyd concert and a restorative gardening activity, delivered through something called the SBS Third Space Program.