You will never guess what responses to Innovation and Science Australia’s 2030 plan focused on (CMM yesterday).

The Academy of Science liked the report, especially “a dedicated stream of funding for translational activity.” However, “this priority cannot be achieved without building our national capability in basic research to underpin the translation process.”

The National Tertiary Education Union pointed out ISA’s call for more STEM graduates comes as the government cuts university funding.

“One arm of government policy (Education and Training) is stabbing another area of government policy (Jobs and Innovation) in the back  by effectively slashing public investment in our world-class university system.”

Labor’s Kim Carr (innovation) and Ed Husic (digital economy) thought the report, “highlights the failure of Malcolm Turnbull to invest in policies crucial to Australia’s future prosperity.” “(The prime minister) spruiked an ‘ideas boom’ but all we have so far is an ideas bust,” they said.

Universities Australia argued that it would be universities that would do the work ISA advocates, and;

“Australia will struggle to become a top tier innovation nation if we don’t at least maintain our public investment in university research and education.”

The Group of Eight agreed, “The assumption that higher education in Australia will remain globally competitive up to 2030 and beyond, and at the same time significantly increase collaboration with industry, while billions are removed from the system by government, threatens to see the whole innovation plan unravel.”