Research funding for universities plays a key role in the fight against global social problems such as disease and climate change, and today’s reductions will severely impact solutions and the prosperity needed to fund those, according to The University of Queensland Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj.
Reductions were announced today in the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) 2012, the federal government’s mini-budget.
“I applaud the government on its decision not to reduce some research funds, including National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) and Australian Research Council (ARC) funding.
“I know the government is making cuts across the economy and that universities must shoulder some of the load.
“However substantial cuts to areas like Sustainable Research Excellence funding mean that opportunities to revitalise connected innovation, enhance productivity and strengthen the economy will be foregone,” he said.
“Australia’s leading research universities enhance the reputation of ‘brand Australia’, leverage research to solve major problems, increase export earnings, and encourage growth in cities and regional centres that depend on education exports. If research funding is reduced, we will lose much more than we save.”
On Friday, UQ welcomed funding through the latest NHMRC round and Professor Høj spoke about some of the significant societal benefits from such funding, including the cervical cancer vaccine and development of more effective needle-free medicine delivery.
“When the products of our research succeed in international markets, they most importantly spread the benefits of Australian research, but they can also earn export income that can be reinvested in more research.”
Funding reductions announced to date include $1billion:
• Reducing the rate of Sustainable Research Excellence funding increases ($498.8 m)
• Abolishing Facilitation Funding from 2014 ($270.1m)
• Delaying until 2017 the extension of eligibility for student payments for all masters by coursework programs ($167.3m)
• Student start-up scholarships to be maintained at the 2012 annual rate until 2017 ($80.9m)
