The opportunity costs of the savings IBRS and Insight Economics found are significant . They could be usefully redirected towards other important investments and services , such as new academic places , further research and additional facilities for students .
The $ 8.4 billion ‘ digital dividend ’ IBRS and Insight Economics found in higher education could :
• Fund more than $ 1.1 billion in new research per annum over the next ten years .
• Fund more than 5,600 new professor-level positions each year for the next ten years .
As a nation , we have a choice . We can continue to sink money into older , on-premise technologies or we can step on the accelerator , put that investment into innovation , and bring forward the benefits of SaaS so we can take advantage of the savings today .
* Higher Education Facts and Figures , Universities Australia , October 2020
The full report is available at : www . toobigtoignore . com . au