Review of research funding and policy

The Minister for Education, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced the Australian Government will undertake a review of university research funding and policy as part of its plan to boost the commercial returns from research.

Minister Pyne said the Government is committed to enhancing the contribution that research in universities plays in building Australia’s capacity for innovation, productivity and growth, and recently released its Boosting the Commercial Returns from Research strategy.

“Australia undertakes a great deal of truly world-class research, but we lag behind comparable countries in how well we translate this into practical and commercial results”, Mr Pyne said.

“Boosting the links between universities and industry, and encouraging the application of university research, will help to improve our living standards, boost Australia’s prosperity and create the jobs of the future, including in research.

“I am pleased to announce that Dr Ian Watt AO, the former Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, will undertake this review,” Mr Pyne said.

“Dr Watt brings a wealth of experience in the Commonwealth Government to the task, and to assist him in this review I have selected a small working group of individuals with expertise across the breadth of university research.”

The review will provide the opportunity for the Government and the university sector to work together to identify how the world class research undertaken by Australian universities can be translated into maximum economic advantage and social benefits for the nation.

The central issues to be examined by the review will include how to maintain the quality and excellence of university research and training, achieve simpler and more transparent approaches to the allocation of research funding and encouraging better engagement and collaboration between universities and industry.

“I expect the review will identify a range of options to strengthen Australia’s research system,” Mr Pyne said.

“The Government will invest $10.7 billion over the next four years in research through my portfolio alone. This review will help ensure that this investment is strategic, evidence-based and focused on the long term interest of the nation.”

The working group assisting Dr Watt is comprised of:

• Professor Peter Coaldrake AO, Vice-Chancellor of the Queensland University of Technology
• Professor Edwina Cornish AO, Provost and Senior Vice-President of Monash University
• Professor Sandra Harding, Vice-Chancellor of James Cook University
• Mr Conor King, Executive Director of the Innovative Research Universities group
• Professor Steven Schwartz AM, Executive Director of the Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, and former Vice Chancellor of Macquarie, Brunel, and Murdoch universities.

The review will report to the Minister by November 2015.

For more information, visit www.education.gov.au/boosting-commercial-returns-research