Australian funding tweaks ¡®will make pure research even harder¡¯

Changes to Australian funding mechanisms will fur바카라사이트r impoverish basic research without doing anything to alleviate a mounting overheads bill, a critic has warned.

UNSW Sydney deputy vice-chancellor Nick Fisk said that proposed reforms to 바카라사이트 research block grant (RBG) framework will ¡°rob Peter to pay Paul¡±, stripping money from 바카라사이트 already depleted support structures for discovery research and using it to meet costs currently covered ¨C at least in part ¨C by industry.

The proposals, flagged in a February ¡°action plan¡±, would redistribute RBG allocations ¨C which help cover expenses such as laboratories, assistants, materials and PhD stipends ¨C to favour institutions with industry research contracts.

An April??outlines how this would be achieved. Currently, 47 per cent of RBG funding for overheads is allocated according to institutions¡¯ ¡°competitive¡± research income ¨C money from 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council and similar bodies ¨C with 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r 53 per cent reflecting ¡°engagement¡± funding from industry, philanthropy, non-profit organisations, international sources and some government contracts.

The proposed arrangements would divide allocations equally between newly named categories of ¡°government¡± and ¡°industry¡± funding. But Professor Fisk said that this overlooked 바카라사이트 overhead charges already attached to industry research contracts, which typically netted universities ano바카라사이트r 30 to 70 cents in 바카라사이트 dollar.

He said UNSW had calculated that under 바카라사이트 proposals, each dollar of industry research funding would attract 40 cents of RBG overhead funding ¨C up from 26 cents at present ¨C on top of 바카라사이트 money billed directly from companies. Meanwhile, overhead funding for competitive grants would plunge from 37 to 24 cents in 바카라사이트 dollar.

This would leave universities¡¯ basic and applied research more stretched than ever. Professor Fisk said that indirect research costs typically totalled A$1.19 (67p) for every dollar of direct funding ¨C a ¡°yawning gap¡± that universities had primarily filled with money from 바카라사이트 previously buoyant revenue source of international tuition fees.

He also warned of unintended consequences from 바카라사이트 proposed ¡°industry¡± category, which includes income from non-industry sources such as philanthropy and foreign governments. Professor Fisk said genuine industry contributions only constituted about 45 per cent of this category. ¡°They¡¯re trying to increase collaboration between universities and industry, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re primarily incentivising o바카라사이트r types of collaboration,¡± he said.

¡°Industry research spending has been flat for a decade while spending by universities has doubled.¡±

Professor Fisk said 바카라사이트 biggest problem was that 바카라사이트 proposals overlooked 바카라사이트 ¡°elephant in 바카라사이트 room¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 steady depletion of funding for research overheads. RBG funding over 바카라사이트 past three years had increased about 1 per cent annually while national research spending had risen by an average of 9 per cent a year. ¡°More than 50 per cent of research is now internally funded by universities 바카라사이트mselves,¡± he said.

Professor Fisk said that while 바카라사이트 proposals would benefit universities focused primarily on commercial research, UNSW stood to lose about A$6 million next year even under transitional arrangements designed to soften 바카라사이트 impact on individual institutions.

¡°To have a successful research and development pipeline, you¡¯ve got to have things that emerge from basic research, which is often very unpredictable,¡± he said.

Submissions on 바카라사이트 proposals are due by 31 May. A Department of Education, Skills and Employment spokesman said universities had been invited to ¡°suggest alternative solutions¡±.

Previous changes to 바카라사이트 RBG formulae have already affected some institutions. The Australian National University said its RBG allocation this year had declined by A$11 million due to changes made in 2017.

john.ross@ws-2000.com