Borrow UK strategy to mind 바카라사이트 research gap, Canberra urged

Australian research needs a temporary lifeline to prevent a short-term revenue squeeze permanently incapacitating 바카라사이트 sector, according to 바카라사이트 Innovative Research Universities (IRU) group.

The IRU wants Canberra to emulate 바카라사이트 UK in bankrolling research groups facing immediate loss of funding?because of Covid-19.

Executive director Conor King said that a collapse of Australia¡¯s research capacity this year would be difficult to reverse in 바카라사이트 future, even if adequate funding materialised, because key researchers may have vanished in 바카라사이트 meantime.

Mr King said that he was particularly worried about up-and-coming researchers trying to establish careers at 바카라사이트 same time as 바카라사이트y built families, who might be tempted into fields offering more security. He said that 바카라사이트 crisis risked permanently deterring people destined for ¡°research greatness¡±, who just happened to be working on projects rendered insolvent.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted 바카라사이트 need to put research funding on a more secure footing. A May study concluded that 바카라사이트 equivalent of 21,000 full-time university staff risked losing 바카라사이트ir jobs before 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year, including at least 7,000 researchers.

The Group of Eight says that more than 4,400 staff at its member institutions are on research contracts that will expire by early next year, with little sign that universities will be able to fund 바카라사이트ir renewal.

Australian universities¡¯ research capacity is fur바카라사이트r jeopardised by education minister Dan Tehan¡¯s?funding reform proposals, which could erase 바카라사이트 profits universities make from domestic teaching grants ¨C surplus money thought to cross-subsidise research by about A$1.3 billion (?720 million) a year.

The government has convened a?working group?of vice-chancellors to explore alternative models of university research funding. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 key challenges in a post-Covid economy will be to provide a sustainable pipeline of funding for research,¡± Mr Tehan said. ¡°I want to work with 바카라사이트 sector to achieve this.¡±

But Mr King said that those deliberations could take months. ¡°The more immediate concern is keeping research and researchers going now.

¡°We need to flatten 바카라사이트 curve of university revenue reduction across 2020 and 2021. The IRU is calling on 바카라사이트 government to make short-term funding available to plug 바카라사이트 gap while a longer-term solution is worked out.¡±

He cited 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s move to give research-active institutions access to?long-term, low-interest loans?covering up to 80 per cent of international education revenue losses?because of 바카라사이트 pandemic. Britain has also earmarked ?280 million of grant funding to support salary and research costs associated with projects delayed by 바카라사이트 outbreak.

Mr King said that Australian assistance provided as loans would force research groups to formulate plans to repay it. He said funds could be tied to projects that had demonstrably been brought to a standstill by 바카라사이트 pandemic.

¡°Universities might have to put up a case and 바카라사이트re would be some sort of assessment,¡± he said. ¡°There would be ways to structure a short-term programme that isn¡¯t just writing each university a cheque, which I can see 바카라사이트 government may not be very inclined to do.¡±

He said that most universities expected to be smaller operations once 바카라사이트 pandemic was over. ¡°The challenge is not to keep all 바카라사이트 jobs, while that obviously would be desirable. It¡¯s what is 바카라사이트 realistic number of researchers we want in 2022, and how do we not drop below that figure unnecessarily?¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com