Money for research and more research is on the wish-list

The Australian Academy of Science “welcomes” much in Minister Tehan’s plan, including more UG places, the new industry Linkage programme and lower course costs for science and maths students.

However, “Our society needs scientists, but it would be poorer if not for people educated in the arts, social sciences, management, commerce, law and the humanities … a system that silos knowledge and values one sort of knowledge over another will fail Australians.”

And the academy isn’t pleased with reduced funding per Commonwealth Supported Place in science.

But what, in-line with other lobbies, it really wants, is more money for research. The academy calls for;

* government funding full costs of research

* “addressing” the decline in support for basic research

* reversing “a decade of decline” in business investing in research and innovation

* Actions to prevent the retrenchment of up to 7,000 researchers as a result of COVID-19 revenue losses.  “Research careers of early and mid-career academics cannot be turned on and off like a tap – they require constant nourishment to maintain the pipeline of essential research capacity.”