Govt expands funding for a diverse STEM workforce

As the search begins for Australia’s next Superstars of STEM, the federal government has provided details of additional funding for its diversity in STEM measures, first announced as part of the 2024–25 Budget. The funding aims to help meet the growing demand for STEM workers by attracting and retaining more people from diverse backgrounds — particularly women and girls, First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse people, and people from regional and rural areas.

Since 2017, the Superstars of STEM program has helped to advance gender equity by turning over 200 female and non-binary STEM professionals into highly visible media stars. The government-funded program is run by Science & Technology Australia, with Program Manager Sandra Gardam saying it is fundamentally changing public perceptions of what a scientist looks like. The next round of Superstars of STEM is set to run from January 2025 to December 2026, with applications closing on 1 September.

Superstars of STEM will now receive an additional $3.8 million in government funding over seven years starting in 2024–25, boosting the number of diverse role models who can positively influence and inspire people to pursue STEM education and careers. In addition, the government will also scale up several other existing programs that are already driving positive change:

• The Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants will receive an additional $8.5 million from 2025–26 to fund long-term projects that support women, including First Nations women and women from regional and rural locations.
• Science in Australia Gender Equity will receive an additional $7.1 million over five years from 2024–25 to deliver an expanded diversity in science accreditation framework for Australia, which will help to create safe, diverse and inclusive workplaces in the higher education, research and vocational education sector and combat discrimination.
• The Girls in STEM Toolkit will receive an additional $2 million over five years from 2024–25 to create a toolkit that supports diversity more broadly. The current toolkit provides resources for students, parents and teachers to encourage girls’ interest in STEM; the additional funding will be used to expand the resources to reach young people from other underrepresented cohorts in STEM through primary and secondary education.
• The STEM Equity Monitor will receive an additional $0.7 million over six years from 2024–25. This will facilitate data collection and compilation on additional underrepresented groups in STEM education and organisations, as well as data-based evaluation of the impact of diversity programs.
• The National Youth Science Forum will receive an additional $1.8 million over four years from 2024–25 to encourage more young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue STEM education and careers.
• The Elevate: Boosting Women in STEM program will be extended to 2031–32 to allow part-time scholars to finish their study. The program will be renamed Elevate: Boosting Diversity in STEM.
   

Changes to these initiatives are aligned with the recommendations from February’s independent Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, which suggested expanding existing programs to attract and retain more diverse people along STEM pathways.

In more sombre news, the government has made the decision to end the Citizen Science Grants program and the Boosting Female Founders Initiative, in order for funding to be redirected to other science engagement and diversity programs. The closure of these initiatives comes several months after the government announced it was terminating the position of the Women in STEM Ambassador by amalgamating its functions into other programs, as recommended by the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review. All current grant recipients may finish their projects as agreed.

Image credit: iStock.com/sanjeri