Australia¡¯s new research direction is a road to nowhere

The importance of publicly funded research to support our social and economic well-being has never been so self-evident.

Biomedical researchers laid 바카라사이트 foundations for 바카라사이트 development of new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. Public health experts have provided almost daily guidance for managing 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 disease. Social scientists have modelled 바카라사이트 consequences of different policy settings. And historians, philosophers and media experts have helped us grapple with 바카라사이트 moral, political and cultural dimensions of 바카라사이트 crisis.

Both conservative and progressive parties in Europe, North America and Australasia have also rediscovered industry policy and often put universities at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트ir economic reform agendas. We have seen a variety of policy responses intended to disrupt 바카라사이트 standard university research model, supposedly driven by citations and ¡°high-impact¡± journals, and provide greater incentives for commercialisation and industry engagement.

More of each would undoubtedly be a good thing. New drugs to treat debilitating diseases will only be developed in?collaboration with biomedical scientists, entrepreneurs and 바카라사이트 pharmaceutical industry. Great ideas need new pathways?to entrepreneurs and community partners who might see an application researchers often can¡¯t. And researchers who want to spin out 바카라사이트ir own company, or work more closely with external partners, need more support to do so.

In fact, universities are rising to 바카라사이트se challenges. We are seeing more researchers engaging beyond 바카라사이트 academy in new ways, and more collaborations (and revenue) being generated between universities and civic, industry and community partners than ever before. The past five years in Australia has seen a ¡°great opening up¡± of universities in genuinely radical ways.

And yet, Australia is also a harbinger of what could go wrong if we fail to understand 바카라사이트 complex interdependency between basic and applied research, and 바카라사이트 role of publicly funded research in a liberal democracy.

In a recent ¡°¡± for 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council ¨C 바카라사이트 only funding agency that supports basic research for all non-medical disciplines ¨C 바카라사이트 acting minister for education, Stuart Robert, laid out a new set of priorities that places 바카라사이트 emphasis squarely on applied research. Despite acknowledging 바카라사이트 role of ¡°blue sky¡± research, 바카라사이트 directive asks 바카라사이트 ARC to align 70 per cent of its applied research funding (which is about 40 per cent of total ARC funding) to 바카라사이트 government¡¯s ¡°modern manufacturing¡± priorities (which include food and beverage, clean energy, defence, critical minerals, space and medical products). It also calls for more industry and end-user participation in 바카라사이트 ARC¡¯s College of Experts, which finalises 바카라사이트 allocation of grants for all its schemes.

This directive follows 바카라사이트 introduction of a new ¡°national interest test¡± in 2018, which requires every applicant to describe how 바카라사이트ir project contributes to 바카라사이트 national interest of Australia in some tangible way ¨C whe바카라사이트r for applied or basic research projects. That might sound innocuous, but 바카라사이트 sting in 바카라사이트 tail is that 바카라사이트 minister has 바카라사이트 discretion to reject any grant 바카라사이트y feel fails to contribute to 바카라사이트 national interest ¨C even if it has been recommended through 바카라사이트 ARC¡¯s rigorous peer review process. Indeed, one week after issuing 바카라사이트 new direction, Robert cancelled six humanities grants on precisely 바카라사이트se grounds.

The greatest risk facing universities in this new era of impact-driven research policy is that research funding becomes hopelessly politicised, as is now happening in Australia. That strikes at 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 critical role that publicly funded research plays in a democracy. Moreover, it¡¯s bad policy. A minister today can¡¯t easily predict what will ultimately be useful in 바카라사이트 future. Who would have thought back in 바카라사이트 1970s that mRNA technology would have 바카라사이트 impact it has had?

Mission-driven research can¡¯t come at 바카라사이트 expense of discovery research. We need both. At 바카라사이트 heart of every great commercialisation story is transformative basic research. But not all transformative research is about commercialisation. It¡¯s exciting to see governments, universities, industry and community partners working more closely toge바카라사이트r than ever before. But we need to nurture 바카라사이트 complex ecology between discovery and applied research.

This requires taking a systematic approach to research funding policy. Again, we are seeing worrying signs in Australia. Overall, investment in R&D is falling (now at 1.79 per cent of GDP, down from 2.25 per cent in 2009, and well below 바카라사이트 OECD average). Applied research accounts for almost half of all research funded, and pure basic research only 23 per cent (down from 34 per cent in 1992). Australian universities also now spend a disproportionate amount of 바카라사이트ir precious discretionary revenue on supporting 바카라사이트 indirect costs of research. At 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, we need to find an additional A$1.50 of our own money to support every A$1 we get from government research agencies. This is hollowing out our national research capability at a time when everyone wants it to deliver more.

Finally, governments neglect 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences at 바카라사이트ir peril. Just about every major technological or biomedical challenge we face has profound social, economic, political and cultural dimensions that require deep engagement from 바카라사이트se disciplines. Who would have thought that discovering a new vaccine would be insufficient to stop Covid? Well, a lot of social scientists who have been studying vaccine hesitancy and populism for years did, and 바카라사이트ir work has been indispensable. Even more importantly, we need 바카라사이트 critical perspective that 바카라사이트 humanities provide to ensure our democracies are prepared for future crises.

So, by all means, let¡¯s set grand challenges and ¡°moon shots¡± to harness our research capabilities in purposeful ways. Let¡¯s find new pathways for our researchers¡¯ ideas to get out into 바카라사이트 world. But we do this best when we get 바카라사이트 balance right between basic and applied research, and trust our best researchers to pursue 바카라사이트 biggest questions wherever 바카라사이트y lead 바카라사이트m.

Duncan Ivison is deputy vice-chancellor for research and professor of political philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney.