There are universities the Nats like a lot

Regional Education (and a bunch of other things) minister, Bridget McKenzie announced yesterday $3.9m for Charles Sturt U to lead a partnership including ANU plus Unis Melbourne and Monash, to reduce the impact of zoonotic diseases, (which jump from people to animals and the other way). The money comes from round two the Regional Research Collaboration Programme.

There’s also $19m for the CSU’s agricultural research park and convention centre at the Wagga Wagga campus.

The funding follows other announcements for regional universities in the last seven days, including, party leader Barnaby Joyce’s $15m commitment for chemical and tech ag research at Uni New England and Senator McKenzie, announcing $3m for Federation U health research and $5 for the university to refurb facilities in Ballarat.

University of Southern Queensland also picked up $3.35 yesterday for a sustainable manufacturing hub. It follows the space trailblazer funding announced for USQ, Sunday.

Southern Cross U is part of the USQ manufacturing programme and also will receive $27m for community health resources at the Coffs Harbour campus.

These are all on top of the big spends promised for CQU in Cairns and Mackay.

So that’s commitments for five of the six members of the Regional Universities Network, plus La Trobe U, which has a big presence in northern Victoria (CMM April 27).

Uni Sunshine Coast advises it has nothing promised from the coalition. Perhaps this is because it has had a bomb of growth money in the last five years, notably for its new Moreton Bay campus – planned to have 10 000 students by the end of the decade (CMM December 1 2021).