industry & research
Time to STEM the tide
Australia’ s shrinking investment in science is jeopardising the nation’ s future, academy tells Audit Commission. By Dallas Bastian
The nation’ s investment in science is moving backwards and will drive researchers overseas. That’ s the warning from the Australian Academy of Science’ s submission to the National Commission of Audit.
“ Australia’ s investment in science is a significant notch below that of the nations that we would like to consider peers,” AAS secretary for science policy Les Field says.
Investment in research is about 2.2 per cent of Australia’ s gross domestic product, somewhere near the middle of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development( OECD) table.
“ Australia should aspire to be well amongst the upper quadrant of the OECD table,” Field says.
Chief Scientist of Australia Ian Chubb says much of the rest of the world is already preparing for a future that will be more dependent on STEM fields and that Australia’ s national and international influence are critical to the future.
“ We have a choice,” Chubb says.“ We can presume that because the past was OK and the present isn’ t too bad, that the future will look after itself. Or we can aspire to a future better than it would otherwise be and develop a strategy to achieve it.”
Field agrees Australia needs to invest in science education and science literacy to prepare students for future career opportunities in a technology-based society. He says the 2014 Budget is the opportunity for the Abbott Government to show its commitment by providing adequate funding for research and innovation.
An important point of focus is to ensure there are stronger global research linkages, including a strategy to properly support firm collaborative programs with key international partners. Field explains that an enhanced international reputation as a research leader helps attract potential students and strengthens linkages.
“ Our international research engagement has been somewhat ad hoc and uncoordinated,” he says.“ There is clear recognition that Australia must take on new directions to offset the shift away from the reliance on the manufacturing and mining sectors.”
Field says there has been little substance on the research and innovation fronts since the government took office last year.
The expiration of Future Fellowships Minister for education Christopher Pyne recently acknowledged the importance of the Australian Research Council( ARC), describing it as the lifeblood of many research endeavours.
The ARC distributes about $ 800 million to researchers annually. Council CEO professor Aidan Byrne says funding has increased in recent years, but“ is projected to decrease over the next few years as the Future Fellowships scheme comes to an end”.
Pyne has previously recognised the contribution the Future Fellowships scheme has made in enabling researchers to solve major problems. Whilst an additional round of funding was secured in the last federal Budget, the funds allocated to the scheme will dry up from the ARC in the next few years. The ARC would welcome additional funding to deliver.“ I do think the ARC can play an important role in many of the research priorities listed by the Coalition leading into the
2013 election,” Byrne says. The research council would like consideration of a mid-career research fellowship scheme after Future Fellowships delivers its last round this year.
The AAS warns that in the absence of future investment, the country’ s best researchers will take opportunities overseas. To help prevent this, Field would like see support for early- to mid-career researchers addressed with urgency.
Short-sighted funding Field says previous governments have failed to recognise that investment in research must have a longer-term horizon.
“ Tackling significant research programs takes years or decades. So planning really does need to be in place that transcends the normal term of any election cycle.” Field says the research sector is hanging out for vision and strategy from the government.
Chubb says there has been agreement recently on the need to be strategic in terms of scientific research and education, but,“ Without a long-term and cohesive national strategy, our STEM enterprise will continue to be buffeted by uncertainty.”
Established long-term funding schemes for research infrastructure are ending. The AAS is concerned that this will result in underused facilities that will be at risk of closure.
“ Who in their right mind would invest to construct absolutely world-class facilities and then not have a mechanism to keep them going to do the research they were designed to do?” he says.
The spread across portfolios It’ s a mistake not to have a minister directly or solely responsible for science and innovation, Field says.
“ The rhetoric of the government has been that,‘ Titles don’ t matter and it’ s actions that do.’ Well we are still waiting expectantly for the actions,” he says.
Science, research and innovation are“ inextricably linked”, yet are spread across multiple portfolios, running the risk of causing a lack of responsibility for these areas, and for a strategy that ensures cohesion, Field explains.
“ While ministers Pyne and Macfarlane are experienced and very capable, Education and Industry are simply massive portfolios with big agendas and pressing issues,” he says. Regardless of how the sectors are separated, he says it will be difficult to get science, research and innovation front of mind – where they should be.
Chubb says Australia supports its science, technology, engineering and mathematics enterprises in a“ diverse but diffuse manner, through multiple programs administered by multiple portfolios”.
However, he acknowledges there is a need for certainty that these arrangements do not reduce the capacity for the sector to look after itself and contribute skills and knowledge to global efforts.
“ With multiple sectors contributing to our total expenditure on research and development, the investment picture is a complex one,” he says. n campusreview. com. au | 13