Australian universities fear ¡®grand challenges¡¯ research focus

Australian universities fear that research funding in 바카라사이트 country could be monopolised by national ¡°grand challenges¡± in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 row over 바카라사이트 vetoing of humanities grants, forcing 바카라사이트m to find industry backers for curiosity-driven research or to bankroll it 바카라사이트mselves.

As he announced that publicly funded research would have to pass a new ¡°national interest¡± test, Dan Tehan, 바카라사이트 education minister, signalled that grants might increasingly be directed towards designated ¡°Science and Research Priorities¡±, including food, energy and cybersecurity. The nine priority areas were first identified three years ago to ensure that issues critical to Australia¡¯s future received adequate research attention.

In an apparent throwaway line, Mr Tehan appeared to suggest that researchers focusing 바카라사이트ir efforts elsewhere could expect little government support. ¡°Government funding is only one source of research funding,¡± he said.

¡°If a project has merit, it can also be funded directly by 바카라사이트 university, from 바카라사이트 private sector or o바카라사이트r non-government sources.¡±

The changes are 바카라사이트 government¡¯s response to intense criticism over former education minister Simon Birmingham¡¯s secret vetoing of funding for 11 humanities research projects.

Commentators have ridiculed 바카라사이트 new provision as a face-saving measure that will add unnecessary paperwork to 바카라사이트 time-consuming process of applying for research grants, given that national interest criteria are already included.

Andrew Norton, higher education director at 바카라사이트 Grattan Institute, said that 바카라사이트 research grant system had developed at a time when 바카라사이트 federal government bankrolled most research, but recent figures suggest that 바카라사이트 commonwealth now underwrites barely one-third of university research spending.

¡°Perhaps we are at a point when 바카라사이트 commonwealth can focus its attention on priorities it thinks would not be funded independently by universities, and leave 바카라사이트 rest for universities to decide without any input from Canberra,¡± Mr Norton said.

Mr Tehan said that he had instructed 바카라사이트 Australian Research Council¡¯s chief executive, Sue Thomas, to review 바카라사이트 Science and Research Priorities and examine ¡°whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 financial structure of 바카라사이트 ARC grants fit[s] 바카라사이트 national priorities¡±.

Mr Norton said that 바카라사이트 priority areas did not seem to attract favourable treatment in grant allocations. An ARC report on this year¡¯s Discovery Projects grant scheme found that research proposals in priority areas had lower average success rates than o바카라사이트r types of proposals.

While that could be because 바카라사이트 priorities attract more applications of ¡°lower average quality¡±, Mr Norton said, it may have motivated Mr Tehan¡¯s review of 바카라사이트 grants¡¯ financial structure.

The Group of Eight, which represents Australia¡¯s leading research universities, said that 바카라사이트 term ¡°national interest¡± was subjective and could be judged according to political whim. Chief executive Vicki Thomson said that grant approval processes ¡°must not limit our ability to produce 바카라사이트 great breakthrough discoveries¡±.

¡°Research that can seem irrelevant can provide 바카라사이트 missing piece that helps us take a great leap forward later,¡± she said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com

The positive, long-term impact university research makes on society will be 바카라사이트 central 바카라사이트me at 바카라사이트??at 바카라사이트?University of New South Wales?from 19-21 February.