Research alliance wants support for science

Australia’s research and science community has formed an alliance to urge political leaders to put short-term politics aside and back a strategic national research policy to build a stronger, smarter nation.

Research bodies representing hundreds of thousands of Australians have come together in the call for non-partisan support for science and research. They wish all parties to make a commitment to the value of research in all fields: from the physical, biological and social sciences through to engineering and humanities.

The call comes from researchers across business and industry, universities and medical research institutes; from peak bodies across the research spectrum in science, education, social sciences and humanities; and from eminent scientists and engineers, including Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt.

The CEO of Science & Technology Australia (STA), Catriona Jackson, told What's New in Lab & Life Sciences that the alliance began to form a couple of months ago, when STA began talks with various research groups and it became apparent that they all had the same view, and that it would be best to work together rather than apart.

This view is that Australia is at a “tipping point”, she said, when it comes to scientific research. A number of policies have been tried and they’ve all had a stop-start approach, never persisting for long enough to achieve real results. This is problematic, said Jackson, because “research works on long-term horizons”. Thus, every time a policy stops, valuable connections are lost. She stressed that the alliance is not necessarily looking for more money - just a consistent, coordinated approach to research science and innovation.

The alliance therefore asks the government to work with the sector to build a long-term, strategic vision to help the nation flourish, conducting research in Australia in partnership with the rest of the world.

They are calling on politicians to take action in line with six fundamental principles:

• Investing strategically and sustainably: supporting planned, stable and appropriate investment in research over the long term in order to tackle large, complex problems and opportunities facing Australia;
• Building our research workforce - getting and keeping the best: offering appropriate conditions to ensure we attract and retain the best researchers, as opposed to the current cycle of one- to three-year grants for researchers’ salaries and materials;
• Building a productive system and getting the most out of it: setting a stable and sustainable funding framework for infrastructure (buildings, equipment and technical experts), especially for national facilities, backed with resources to keep such facilities running once they are built;
• Being among and working with the world’s best: working with the best global researchers and building on the credibility of Australian researchers, requiring international engagement at a government to government level, as well as support for specific project collaboration;
• Bringing industry and academia together: ensuring there are clear and reliable policy incentives that facilitate deep and sustained collaboration between industry, public sector, university and research institutes;
• Expanding industry research: creating an environment which encourages industry to invest more in research and which makes Australia an attractive place for international companies to undertake research.

Jackson said the alliance hopes to receive a commitment to these principles from both the government and Opposition, as well as the Independents and Greens, before the election.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott yesterday issued a response to the call, outlining the Coalition’s plan for science and research and saying, “The Coalition will provide the long-term, stable policies and vision that our nation’s scientists and researchers need to excel in their work. We will cut the red tape that accompanies government research programs, as well as providing our scientists and researchers with the certainty to plan.”