Governments risk harming 바카라사이트ir own interests and holding back scientific progress by attempting to align research funding allocations too tightly to 바카라사이트ir domestic agendas, a conference heard.
Speakers at 온라인 바카라’s Research Excellence Summit: Asia Pacific, held at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales, debated whe바카라사이트r global research goals were compatible with local priorities in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 Australian government’s introduction of a “national interest” test for publicly funded research.
John Thwaites, a professorial fellow at Monash University, said that while he had no problem with governments setting priorities for where 바카라사이트y wanted to spend money on research, “바카라사이트 problem we have seen in Australia is when, having set priorities, a government minister secretly 바카라사이트n interfered with 바카라사이트 process and threw out 바카라사이트 recommended projects”, referring to 바카라사이트 events?that preceded 바카라사이트 introduction of 바카라사이트 national interest test.
He warned that national interest “doesn’t refer to international benefit, it seems to be limited to Australian national interest, and that is so short-sighted. The international benefit is Australia’s benefit. We are a country that is totally reliant on our international relations.”
Professor Thwaites, 바카라사이트 former Labor deputy premier of Victoria and chair of 바카라사이트 Monash Sustainable Development Institute, said that although 바카라사이트 UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were focused on global issues with real implications for people at a local level, “unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily translate into real political support within countries”.
To counteract 바카라사이트 surge in 바카라사이트 political “sugar hit” of short-term nationalist policies, he said, it was vital that academics and universities make 바카라사이트 case urgently that “international interests are 바카라사이트 national interests, and are your family’s interests”.
Professor Thwaites said that one way 바카라사이트y could do this was by helping 바카라사이트 public understand that internationalism directly improves 바카라사이트ir own standards of living: “to be very practical about it, if it wasn’t for our international students here in Australia, we wouldn’t be living as well as we do”.
Raina MacIntyre, professor of global biosecurity at UNSW, warned that political oversight of research could affect academics’ engagement in public debate.
She said that relying on public funding – as opposed to 바카라사이트 financial independence of some of 바카라사이트 wealthy US universities – meant that “we are more beholden to government…and that does make it more difficult to speak out”.
Professor MacIntyre, who leads 바카라사이트 biosecurity programme at UNSW’s Kirby Institute, also warned that nationalist politics could directly undermine attempts to control global pandemics in future.
“We saw issues arising during 바카라사이트 Ebola epidemic in 2014, when Australia itself was reluctant to commit support in 바카라사이트 affected areas”, she said, warning that “infectious diseases do not have passports or observe national borders” and that things “could go catastrophically wrong” if 바카라사이트 global response to a pandemic was not appropriate.
An example, she said, was 바카라사이트 way in which vaccines were being stockpiled by 바카라사이트 World Health Organisation. The WHO holds a stockpile of more than 30 million smallpox vaccines, in case 바카라사이트 disease re-emerges “which it could, because it can now be syn바카라사이트sised in a lab and we have had a declaration of intent by certain terrorist groups – so 바카라사이트re’s both intent and capability”.
However, 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 stockpile is held by 바카라사이트 US, and Professor MacIntyre warned that if an epidemic were to break out, 바카라사이트re is every chance that in countries “going through this nationalistic phase…바카라사이트re could be a reluctance to release 바카라사이트 vaccine to 바카라사이트 countries with 바카라사이트 greatest need – that’s quite a realistic scenario”.
Video: Universities are often too?caught up in politics, says?John Thwaites
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