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Federal Education Minister Jason Clare . Picture : Gary Ramage / NewsWire
Research grant overhaul
Minister announces ARC overhaul .
Australian Research Council grants will be doled out under a stricter timeframe and application processes will be refined under new reforms led by the federal government .
Speaking at a higher education summit in Sydney , federal education minister Jason Clare announced an independent review into the heavily scrutinised research body .
He said delays and political interference have damaged the ARC ’ s global reputation and made it harder for universities to recruit and retain staff .
“ For a start , we need to take the politics out of it ,” he told the AFR summit .
“ We need to make sure all future grant rounds are delivered on time , to a predetermined timeframe .
“ I have also committed to an independent review of the ARC and the legislation that underpins it .”
In late 2021 , acting minister for education Stuart Robert scrapped six humanities research grants peer-reviewed and recommended by the ARC .
The veto , revealed on Christmas Eve , marked the longest delay to a funding announcement of grant recipients in 30 years .
The move drew international backlash from academics and prompted two senior council members to resign .
In a letter of expectations sent to the council , the new minister called for “ clearer ” and “ simpler ” guidelines for research applicants to minimise workloads and promote transparency .
He asked the research body to consider how the National Interest Test ( NIT ) would be applied in different grant categories .
“ The Discovery Program includes fundamental research that by its very nature may not have a clearly defined application or outcome ,” Clare wrote .
“ I also ask that you continue to ensure that the ARC assesses the NIT for each application in conjunction with the assessments from the expert peer review process , eligibility and due diligence .” ■
‘ Generational change ’
UQ promises to enrol more disadvantaged students .
The University of Queensland has pledged to boost enrolment rates of First Nations , low socio-economic , regional and other disadvantaged students by 2032 .
Speaking at the university ’ s new Brisbane campus , UQ vice chancellor
UQ vice chancellor Deborah Terry . Picture : Supplied
professor Deborah Terry announced the new commitment , saying it would usher “ generational change ” across the state .
“ Education and opportunity must be available for all Queenslanders and by 2032 we have committed to break down personal , financial and geographical barriers facing students aspiring to study at UQ ,” she said .
“ The Queensland Commitment reaffirms the founding principles of the university , and underpins our commitment to work collaboratively with the community to deliver generational change ,” she said .
“ Increasing access to scholarships will allow students to focus on their studies and ultimately enter the workforce , which will , in turn , help build a more prosperous state and economy .”
The plan aims to reach a target of 30 per cent of local undergraduate students coming from low-socioeconomic and / or regional or remote areas within 10 years .
Currently , in Australia , undergraduate enrolments among people from regional and remote areas decreased between 2019 and 2020 , by 3.2 % and 3.5 % respectively .
By comparison , city-based undergraduate enrolments increased by 1.9 % in 2020 .
Terry said the university will focus on growing philanthropic funding from donors to create more needs-based scholarships to recruit more rurally based students .
“ We believe we can make a difference by supporting Queenslanders to reach their potential – there is no greater investment than the people and the future of Queensland ,” she said . ■
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