The Defence Department says government should use a revised defence trade control act to control access to pretty much whatever it decides (CMM, Friday). In a submission to the Thom Review of the act DOD suggests, amending it, “to allow the Australian Government to more effectively control access to Defence and Strategic Goods List technology and other technology that may be used to prejudice the security, defence or international relations of Australia.”

Nobody much seems bothered by this, with the DoD prop largely unchallenged. Except by the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes, which considers it a cause for conniptions.

“The Department’s proposal is for unprecedented powers to regulate research and the legitimate exchange of knowledge, without justification or consultation with the research sector first,” AAMRI argues.

“Not only will researchers in Australia be held back by red-tape and delays as they wait for the associated inspection of their work by the Department of Defence, but such unparalleled power would threaten improved health outcomes and commercialisation of research.”

So why aren’t researchers alarmed? AAMRI suggests no-one much has noticed what Defence proposes.

The National Tertiary Education Union’s submission to the House of Representative s committee inquiry on research administration will be loved in labs where researchers conduct discovery-research which may, or may not, have any industry application.

“A primary focus on commercialisation will distort publicly funded scientific investigation and become a disincentive for discovery-driven research and innovation. Government must recognise the specific basic and discovery-led research strengths in public research and safeguard this by championing the role of public investment in delivering basic and discovery-led research,” the union argues.

It recommends “drawing a line against political or corporate influence in the peer review process.”

The NTEU makes 12 recommendations including;

* create a university research finance corporation, to provide advice and serve as a contact for university researchers and commercial partners

* set research block grants in legislation or disallowable regulation

* introduce a research reward fund based on research quality, security (“focused on encouraging best practice workforce planning for career stability”) and impact

* “build collaboration” by increasing funding for ARC Linkage Grants and the CRC Programme

* not extending peer review of research proposals “to business or industry”

* “rigorous accountability standards” for research-industry collaborations

* “reduce the influence of research assessment exercises and the role of research performance metrics on the allocation of public funding”

Australian and New Zealand universities on the world top 100 in the ARWU lists for natural science are (with apologies for any missed) are;

Maths: UNSW (76-100)

Physics: ANU (32)

Chemistry: Monash U (76-100)

Earth Sciences: ANU (23), UNSW (40), Curtin U (51-75), UWA (51-75), UTas (51-75), Macquarie U (76-100)

Geography: ANU (7), UoQ (13), UniMelbourne (22), UNSW (49), Monash U (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), Victoria U of Wellington (51-75), James Cook U (76-100), Macqarie U (76-100) UWA (76-100)

Ecology: James Cook U (12), UoQ (16), UWA (29) ANU (36), Western Sydney U (39), UniMelbourne (47), Macquarie U (51-75), UNSW (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), UTasmania (51-75), UniOtago (76-100),

Oceanography: UTasmania (13), UNSW (23), UWA (24), ANU (43), James Cook U (51-75), UoQ (51-75), UniOtago (76-100)

Atmospheric science: UNSW (22), UniMelbourne (49)

Australian and New Zealand universities on the world top 100 in the ARWU lists for engineering  (with apologies for any missed) are;

Mech eng: UNSW (45), Monash U (51-75), UniAuckland (76-100), UniSydney (76-100)

Electrical and electronic eng: UniAdelaide (36), UNSW (46), RMIT (76-100), ANU (76-100)

Automation and control: UniNewcastle (8), ANU (13), UniAdelaide (25), UniMelbourne (43), RMIT (51-75), UNSW (51-75)

Telecommunication eng:  ANU (30), UNSW (38), UniSydey (46), UniMelbourne (76-100), UTS (76-100)

Instruments science and technology: UNSW (42), UniAdelaide(51-75), RMIT (76-100), UniSydney (76-100)

Biomedical eng: UniMelbourne (42), QUT (76-100)

Computer science and eng: UniAdelaide (43), ANU (46), UTS (47), UniMelbourne (76-100)

Civil eng: UniCanterbury, UNSW 10, UniAdelaide (31), UniAuckland (32), UniSydney (38), Monash U (51-75), Western Sydney U (51-75), UniWollongong (51-75), Griffith U (76-100), QUT (76-100)

Chemical eng: Monash U (34), Curtin U (49), UNSW (51-75), UoQ (51-75)

Materials science and eng: Monash U (51-75), UNSW (51-75)

Nanoscience and nanotech: Monash U (51-75), ANU (76-100), UoQ (76-100), UniWollongong (76-100),

Energy Science and eng: Monash U (30), UNSW (39), UniWollongong (44), UoQ (51-75), UniAdelaide (76-100)

Environmental science and eng: UWA (18), UoQ (21), UNSW (44), UniMelbourne (76-100)

Water resources: UNSW (5), Flinders U (12), UoQ (20), UniAdelaide (28), UniMelbourne (36), Monash U (45), ANU (51-75), UWA (51-75), Griffith U (76-100)

Food science and tech: UoQ (32), UniAuckland (36), Massey U (39)

Biotechnology: UoQ (7), UniMelbourne (44), Monash U (76-100)

Aerospace eng: UoQ (18), UNSW (41)

Marine and ocean eng: UWA (12), UNSW (16), UTas (35)

Transportation science and tech: UniSydney (6), Monash U (13), QUT (16), UNSW (34), ANU (51-75), Griffith U (76-100), UniMelbourne (76-100), UoQ (76-100), UniWollongong (76-100)

Remote sensing: UNSW (16), Monash U (39), UTS (50), UniMelbourne (51-75), Curtin U (76-100), UoQ (76-100), UTasmania (76-100)

Mining and mineral engineering: UoQ (1), UWA (5), UNSW (7), Monash U (10), Curtin U (14), UniAdelaide (15), UniSA (22), UniNewcastle (26), UniWollongong (51-75)

Metallurgical engineering: Monash U (7), UoQ (19), Deakin U (34), UniSydney (39), UNSW (50), UniWollongong (51-75)

The ANZ unis in the ARWU’s world top 100 for life and medical sciences (with apologies for any missed) are;

Biological sciences: UWA (46), UniMelbourne (51-75), UoQ (51-75), UniSydney (76-100),

Human biological sciences: UniMelbourne (19), UniSydney (49), Monash U (51-75), UNSW (51-75), UoQ (51-75)

Agricultural sciences: UWA (14), UoQ (24), UniSydney (38), UniTas (39), UniMelbourne (40), UniAdelaide (42), ANU (51-75), Western Sydney U (51-75), UNE (76-100)

Veterinary sciences: UniSydney (21), UniMelbourne (32), UoQ (34), Massey U (50), Murdoch U (76-100)

Clinical medicine: UniMelbourne (19), UniSydney (32), UWA (39), Monash U (51-75), UNSW 76-100), UoQ (76-100)

Public health: UoQ (18), UniMelbourne (25), UniSydney (37), UWA (48), Monash U (51-75), UniAuckland (51-75), UniOtago (51-75), Deakin U (76-100), Griffith U (76-100), QUT (76-100), UNSW (76-100),

Dentistry and oral sciences: UniAdelaide (27), UniOtago (51-75), UniSydney (51-75),  UniMelbourne (76-100)

Nursing: UTS (6), Griffith U (11), UoQ (12),UniSydney (25), QUT (31), Monash U (32), Australian Catholic U (41), Curtin U (47), Western Sydney U (49), Deakin U (51-75), La Trobe U (51-75), UniMelbourne (51-75), UniNewcastle (76-100), UWA (76-100)

Medical technology: UniMelbourne (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), UoQ (76-100)

Pharmacy and pharma sciences: Monash U (9), UoQ (51-75), UniSydney (51-75)

The ANZ unis in the ARWU’s world top 100 for social sciences (with apologies for any missed);

Economics: UniMelbourne (41), Monash U (42), ANU (48), UNSW (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), UoQ (76-100)

Statistics: UniMelbourne (29), ANU 51-75, Monash U 76-100, UNSW 76-100

Law: Griffith U (33), UNSW (34), Monash U (36), ANU (51-75), UniMelbourne (51-75), Deakin U (76-100), UoQ (76-100), UniSydney (76-100)

Political science: ANU (18), UniSydney (34), Griffith U (76-100), UoQ (76-100)

Sociology: UniMelbourne (39), UoQ (47), UniSydney (51-75), Monash U (76-100)

Education: Monash U (16), UniSydney (29) Australian Catholic U (51-75), Deakin U (51-75),  UniMelbourne (51-75), UoQ (51-75), Western Sydney U (51-75), Curtin U (76-100), Griffith U (76-100), QUT (76-100), UniAuckland (76-100), UniNewcastle (76-100), UniOtago (76-100), UniWollongong (76-100)

Communication: UoQ (36), UniSydney (50), UniMelbourne (51-75), QUT (76-100), UNSW (76-100), UTS (76-100)

 Psychology: UoQ (34), UNSW (44), UniMelbourne (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), UWA (76-100)

Business administration: Monash U (22), UniMelbourne (26), UNSW (51-75), UoQ (51-75), UniSA (76-100), UniSydney (76-100)

Finance: UNSW (16), UniMelbourne (27), Monash U (44), UniSydney (51-75), UTS (651-75), Deakin U (76-100), ANU (76-100), UoQ (76-100)

Management: UNSW (50), UniMelbourne (51-75), Monash U (76-100), UoQ (76-100), UniSydney (76-100)

Public administration: ANU (14), UniMelbourne (23), Griffith U (51-75), UNSW (51-75), UoQ (76-100), Uni Canberra (76-100)

Hospitality and tourism management: Griffith U (2), UoQ (3), Uni Waikato (17), Monash U (21), UniSA (25), UniOtago (27), Southern Cross U (28), James Cook U (31), UNSW (34), UTS (43), Curtin U (44), Victoria U (46), Auckland U Tech (51-75), Deakin U (51-75), La Trobe U(51-75), Uni Canterbury (51-75), Uni Wollogong (51-75), QUT (76-100)

Library and info science: UNSW (26), UniMelbourne (51-75), UniSydney (51-75), QUT (76-100), ANU (76-100),