Pro Vice Chancellor (Research) Val Alder

The year 2000 was a grim one for the tertiary sector as a whole, although it was Murdoch’s best year ever in research.

Our research income rose by 30 per cent, our consultancy income more than doubled and commercialisation of some of our important intellectual property began through the university company UNICO. The whole tertiary sector had to absorb more pay increases (well deserved though they are) unsupported by the Federal Government, stretching lean university budgets even further.

At the same time the white paper implementation changed the way research was funded in Australia. This meant extra work for research administrators, and tensions increased as academics coped with bigger teaching and administrative loads while trying to find time for quality research. Friction between management and academics grew as management felt it had to implement some of the external changes rapidly within universities with the prospect of no real increase in funding.

Fortunately, 2001 shines through much more brightly. The Federal Government has finally realised that all education - primary, secondary and tertiary - is an investment in Australia’s future and its reservoir of intellectual capital. Without this Australia would soon descend into third world status. The Wills Review, the Innovation Statement and the review entitled Chances for Change all had a significant impact on national and political thinking. The Government recently tried to reverse the widely-held belief that it was “dumbing-down” Australia with a financial commitment of $2.9 billion over the five years called Backing Australia’s Ability. It must be cautioned that the funding flow is very slow in the first three years and only reaches high levels in the fourth and fifth years. The funding covers a multitude of schemes that fall into several different categories. Some of them have very short time scales for response in 2001; however, most universities will be seeking access to some of this increased largess.

Essentially the funding falls into four different categories:

1. increased infrastructure funding through a competitive process;

2. a diversity of schemes to improve commercialisation of universities’ intellectual property and to bring universities and industry closer together in working harmony, including extending the Cooperative Research Centres scheme;

3. setting up of centres of excellence and major national research facilities; and

4. schemes to increase the numbers and quality of research personnel through the Federation Fellowships designed to attract or retain quality Australians or other quality nationals, and increased Australian Research Council fellowships.

This is the first positive step by a Federal Government in years to encourage academics to join, or stay in, the game. Hopefully it will reduce the lure and glitter of science and technology research in other countries.

Most of the schemes emphasise science and technology. It is critical that State Governments support this by putting mechanisms in place for encouraging school children to recognise that a science education is a stepping-stone to a vast array of careers. Many of these careers are not normally considered as an end point, such as solving salinity problems, becoming a senior executive in a company, becoming an officer in the army, modelling global finance for banks, or designing new musical instruments.

If too few of our best brains go into science careers we risk becoming a nation that consumes items off the shelf and places itself at the mercy of the companies and countries that produce these items.

We live off the benefits of science and technology, with our mobile phones, the Internet and the massive changes in communications and information flow. Australia must be part of that technological revolution, rather than merely the consumers we are rapidly becoming. The Federal Government’s recent initiative Backing Australia’s Ability is the first positive step in turning Australia around.