Gillard government investing in world-class science and research

The Gillard government intends to secure Australia’s competitive economic edge by boosting funding for science and research in universities by more than $126 million in 2012-13.

Federal Minister for Science and Research Senator Chris Evans said, in a tough budget, the government had achieved a record $1.72 billion investment to support university research. Total Australian Government support for science, research and innovation is now almost $9 billion, an overall increase of 35% since 2007.

“The Gillard government understands the critical contribution of science and research in ensuring Australia remains internationally competitive as we build a new economy,” Senator Evans said.

“We need to maintain our world-class science reputation and invest in research to ensure Australia is well placed to drive innovation in the 21st century.

“Our investment in science and research reflects the importance of these vital endeavours.

“Australia’s impressive list of scientific achievements has generated significant financial benefits for our economy - inventions such as the anthrax vaccine, penicillin and the cochlear implant as well as the GPS and Wi-Fi.

“These are great examples of how research done right here in Australia can have a huge impact right around the globe.”

The government’s record investment will deliver block grant funding of $1.72 billion for universities, distributed as:

• $656 million for the Research Training Scheme
• $233 million for Research Infrastructure Block Grants
• $345 million for Joint Research Engagement
• $219 million for Sustainable Research Excellence (SRE)
• $248 million for Australian Postgraduate Awards
• $22 million for International Postgraduate Research Scholarships

In addition to block grants, the Gillard government is delivering:

• $879 million to the Australian Research Council for competitive grant programs
• $736.77 million to CSIRO
• $31.56 million to the Australian Institute of Marine Science
• $162.72 million to the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
• $12.89 million to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

The government’s investment in science and research will also extend to the nation’s four learned academies - the Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia, the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. The academies will receive ongoing indexed funding of $4.4 million each year from 2012-13 to enable them to continue driving excellence in science and innovation.

“Our funding will support the academies to promote research and scholarships and provide independent, expert advice across government, industry and the community on issues of national and international significance - like science, technology, humanities and the social sciences - for the benefit of all Australians,” Senator Evans said.

“This investment will help Australian scientists and researchers drive innovation and remain competitive in the increasingly complex global economy.”

The Gillard government has also ensured Australian researchers can access world-class facilities by securing the future of the Australian Synchrotron with an additional $69 million from the Australian Government and universities.

Since 2008, the government has invested more than $1.8 billion in world-class science facilities across the nation, as well as more than $700 million in support for research including:

• More than $300 million in additional support for the research workforce by doubling the number of Australian Postgraduate Awards by 2012 and increasing the stipend from $20,427 in 2009 to $22,500 in 2010 with continued indexation
• An additional $370 million to universities since 2009 through the SRE program to support the indirect costs of Australian competitive grant research
• Increased rates of indexation for research block grants starting this year resulting in an additional $33 million in funding for universities for the 2012 calendar year.

“Making sure our substantial investment in science and research delivers tangible, economic outcomes for Australians is a key element of the government's research and innovation agenda,” Senator Evans said.

“For example, the government announced last month that CSIRO had entered into new licences for its Wi-Fi WLAN technology to secure more than $220 million, bringing the total return from this technology so far to more than $420 million.

“It is hard to imagine technology that has had a greater impact on the way we live and work - Wi-Fi is used by people worldwide to connect to the internet remotely from laptops, printers, game consoles and smart phones.

“Wi-Fi is a prime example of how research done right here at home can benefit the world while delivering significant economic returns for Australia.

“Our boosted investment in cutting-edge scientific research will guarantee that Australia continues to drive innovation and be competitive at the forefront of scientific discovery.”