Education Minister Jason Clare has cancelled next year’s Excellence for Research in Australia national performance measurement, “in light of the sector’s concerns about workload” – not all unis are stopping work

Deakin U, for one, was quick to decide to press on after Mr Clare’s announcement. DVC R Julie Owens told senior staff, “with all the preparatory work already completed by Deakin, in my judgment it would be a wasted opportunity if we do not continue with our current plan.”

For a start, whatever replaces the existing Excellence for Research in Australia methodology, “may well be assessed in a similar fashion to the current system so that work is likely even more important to complete.”

Plus DU’s own data might be useful to compare with whatever the ARC comes up with, “which may not consider the contextual and complex environment in which universities operate.”

And so what is now a “strategic research profiling exercise” continues. It will be “extremely valuable, have a variety of applications, and provide Deakin, and its research enterprise, evidence to support future performance targets.”

Not all of the 45 or so “cluster leaders” involved are thrilled. Learned readers suggest, that a bunch of work blooms still, even with deadlines extended, through to mid-October,