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Contents > 3. Research and Research Training > 3.4 Other support for research
3.4 Other support for research
Higher education institutions, and related peak bodies, receive support for research from a wide range of Commonwealth-funded agencies and programmes.
Australian Research Council
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is responsible for the National Competitive Grants Programme. This consists of Federation Fellowships, Discovery grants, which support fundamental, or basic, research, and Linkage grants, which support collaboration with other universities, research agencies and industry. Allocations against the main programme elements for 2002, 2003 and 2004 are shown in table 3.8 below.
In the Government’s January 2001 Backing Australia’s Ability: An Innovation Action Plan for the Future, it committed to providing an additional $736 million over five years to double funding for the ARC. The first year in which additional Backing Australia’s Ability funding will be available is 2002. This funding will be used to:
-
establish the prestigious new Federation Fellowships programme to encourage outstanding researchers to stay in, or return to, Australia;
-
double the number of Research Fellowships;
-
improve the competitiveness of researchers’ salaries;
-
increase funding for research projects to improve grant application success rates and average grant size; and
-
contribute to the establishment of world-class centres in information and communications technology and biotechnology.
In January 2002 the Minister announced four priority research areas for the Australian Research Council’s 2003 funding round under the National Competitive Grants Programme. These are nano-materials and bio-materials, genome/phenome research, complex/intelligent systems and photon science and technology (see Section 3.1).
Table 3.8: National Competitive Grants Programme allocations, 2002 to 2004
|
Type of Grant |
2002(a) |
2003 |
2004 |
|
Discovery – Projects (includes |
158 420 |
200 825 |
227 656 |
|
Discovery – Indigenous Researchers’ |
230 |
230 |
230 |
|
Linkage – Projects |
65 875 |
73 311 |
88 466 |
|
Linkage – Infrastructure, Equipment |
20 993 |
25 215 |
25 215 |
|
Linkage – International Research |
4 373 |
2 697 |
2 697 |
|
Linkage – Centres of Excellence |
21 432 |
36 152 |
40 641 |
|
Linkage – Other |
|||
|
– Learned Academies |
461 |
461 |
461 |
|
– Special Research Initiatives |
269 |
269 |
269 |
|
– ANZCCART |
22 |
22 |
22 |
|
Total |
272 076 |
339 182 |
385 657 |
(a) 2002 funding amounts include $1.7 million, which is a re-phasing (transfer) of 2001 programmes’ funds from 2001 to 2002. The re-phasing has yet to be legislated and is therefore subject to the approval of Parliament.
The Health and Ageing Portfolio
Universities conducting health and medical research, along with other research organisations, are able to compete for funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) within the Health and Ageing portfolio. Universities also compete for other health-related research funding from the Health and Ageing portfolio, including Commonwealth AIDS Research Grants, the General Practice Evaluation Program, the National Drug Law Enforcement Research Fund and the Research into Drug Abuse Program. The funds obtained by universities from these two sources in 1999 and 2000 are detailed in table 3.9.
Table 3.9: Health and Ageing portfolio grants, 1999 and 2000
|
Year |
1999 |
2000 |
|
National Health and Medical Research Council |
117.4 |
125.4 |
|
Other Health and Ageing portfolio funding |
18.8 |
14.9 |
Source: Higher Education Research Data Collection.
Cooperative Research Centres and Major National Research Facilities
The Education, Science and Training portfolio gained the science-related functions of the former Department of Industry, Science and Resources in the November 2001 machinery of government changes. The transfer of responsibilities included the Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) and Major National Research Facilities (MNRFs) programmes.
Universities are major beneficiaries of both programmes with many CRCs and MNRFs located at universities. As CRCs and MNRFs are multi-institutional, in most cases funds flow to a centre or facility agent and not directly to the participant organisations. Table 3.10 shows the total funding allocation for each programme. Universities would indirectly receive a significant proportion of these funds.
A list of current CRCs and MNRFs, with participating universities, is at Appendix E.
Table 3.10: CRC and MNRF grants, 2001–2002 to 2003–2004
|
Programme |
2001–2002 |
2002–2003 |
2003–2004 |
|
CRC |
146.5 |
148.8 |
200.9 |
|
MNRF |
3.5 |
19.4 |
29.5 |
Other sources of Commonwealth research funding
There are many other small competitive research funding schemes accessed by universities. Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia provides the most significant source of research support after those previously discussed, mainly through R&D corporations and related programmes. Four other portfolios provide funds for research in excess of $1 million a year from sources which have not been discussed above. These portfolios and some of their relevant programmes are listed below under the name of the administering Department as it was known before the November 2001 machinery of government changes:
-
Education, Training and Youth Affairs, including Children’s Literacy National Projects, the National Managed Vocational Education and Training Research and Evaluation Program, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Research Grants and Australian National Training Authority Vocational Education
and Training Research Grants; -
Environment and Heritage, including Antarctic Science Advisory Committee Grants Scheme, Australian Biological Resources Study Participatory Programme, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Augmentative Reef Research Grant Scheme, and National Wetlands Research and Development Programme;
-
Foreign Affairs and Trade, including Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research – R&D Projects; and
-
Industry, Science and Resources, including R&D Start Programmes.
In addition to these programmes, small competitive grants programmes are administered by the Defence; Veterans’ Affairs; and Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business portfolios. Table 3.11 details competitive research funds provided from these portfolios as well as other Commonwealth funding for research received by universities during 1999 and 2000.
Table 3.11: Other sources of research funding by portfolio, 1999 and 2000
|
Year |
1999 |
2000 |
|
Competitive grants(a) |
||
|
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia |
49.3 |
58.0 |
|
Education Training and Youth Affairs |
2.0 |
1.9 |
|
Environment and Heritage |
1.4 |
1.7 |
|
Foreign Affairs and Trade |
12.6 |
9.8 |
|
Industry, Science and Resources |
4.0 |
4.3 |
|
Other Commonwealth competitive research grants(b) |
0.6 |
0.7 |
|
Other Commonwealth research income(c) |
73.4 |
72.0 |
|
Total |
143.3 |
148.4 |
Notes:
(a) ‘Category one’ Commonwealth competitive research grants, for the purposes of the HERDC.
(b) Competitive research grants administered by the Defence; Veterans’ Affairs; and Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business portfolios.
(c) ‘Category two’ Commonwealth research income, for the purposes of the HERDC.
Source: Higher Education Research Data Collection.
Learned Academies
In the 2001–2002 financial year, a total of $1.7 million in grants-in-aid was provided though the Education, Science and Training portfolio to support the operations of the National Academies Forum and the four Learned Academies: the Australian Academy of Science; the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia; the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; and the Australian Academy of the Humanities. These grants assist the Academies in promoting research and scholarship, and in pursuing activities of national interest, including the provision of independent advice to the government.
Funding is also provided to the Academies to undertake projects of benefit to research and scholarship. In 2002, the ARC has $461 900 available to allocate to the Academies for these purposes. Applications are assessed and short-listed by the ARC for the approval of the Minister for Education, Science and Training.
Table 3.12: Grants-in-aid, 2001 to 2004
|
Grant Recipient |
2000–01 |
2001–02 |
2002–03 |
2003–04 |
|
National Academies Forum |
52 000 |
53 407 |
53 407 |
53 407 |
|
Australian Academy of Science |
715 540 |
734 903 |
734 903 |
734 903 |
|
Academy of the Social Sciences |
278 441 |
285 976 |
285 976 |
285 976 |
|
Australian Academy of Technological |
301 264 |
309 416 |
309 416 |
309 416 |
|
Australian Academy of the Humanities |
278 755 |
286 298 |
286 298 |
286 298 |
|
ANZAAS |
16 000 |
16 000 |
16 000 |
16 000 |
|
Total |
1 642 000 |
1 686 000 |
1 686 000 |
1 686 000 |
(a) Figures are provisional.
Table 3.13: Learned Academies Special Projects funding, 2002
|
Academy |
Project Title |
Allocation |
|
Australian Academy |
Pesticide Use in Australia |
25 547 |
|
Australian Academy |
Authoritative Web-based Information to |
132 844 |
|
Australian Academy of |
Towards a Research Strategy for the Creative |
139 998 |
|
Academy of the Social |
Rethinking Well-being: Policy and Programme |
71 532 |
|
National Academies Forum |
Social Impacts of Changing Water Regimes |
91 969 |
|
Total |
|
461 890 |
Source: Australian Research Council.
Anglo-Australian Telescope Board
The Education Science and Training portfolio provides annual funding to the Anglo-Australian Telescope Board (AATB), an independent bi-national authority established under the Anglo-Australian Telescope Agreement Act 1970, between the governments of Australia and the United Kingdom. The Board’s appropriation from the Australian Government for 2001–2002 is $3.8 million.
The Board allocates observation time to researchers and manages the facilities of the Anglo-Australian Observatory (AAO), which consists of the Anglo-Australian Telescope and the UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring, near Coonabarabran in New South Wales, and a laboratory in the Sydney suburb of Epping. Telescope observing time is shared equally by the United Kingdom and Australia. The Anglo-Australian Telescope Board’s Australian Time Assignment Committee has responsibility for allocating the Australian share of observing time on the Anglo-Australian Telescope. The AAO has been a world leader in astronomical research and instrumentation since it was opened in 1971.
Research Evaluation Programme
In 2001–2002, funding of $720 000 was allocated to the Research Evaluation Programme (REP). The REP provides a source of funds for the Department to commission consultants to undertake independent evaluations and studies of the higher education research and research training system.
Table 3.14: Research Evaluation Programme projects commenced in 2001
|
Grant Recipient |
Project Officer |
Project Title |
Total |
|
ANU |
John Dash |
Summit on the Role of the Humanities |
130 678 |
|
CQU |
Mark Sinclair |
The Pedagogy of ‘Good’ PhD Supervision: a national cross-disciplinary investigation of PhD supervision |
98 124 |
|
UNE |
Lyn Meek |
Relative Performance of Australian Universities |
85 000 |
|
Carigold Pty Ltd |
Lyn Grigg |
Emerging Issues for Cross-Disciplinary Research |
75 000 |
Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
The Education Science and Training portfolio provided a grant-in-aid of $16 000 in 2001 to the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS). This funding was provided to support travel costs for six high-school science students from each Australian state and territory to attend the annual Youth ANZAAS Conference. The Youth ANZAAS 2001 event was held in Adelaide during January 2001 and involved 50 young science students from schools throughout Australia. The next Youth ANZAAS conference is planned to occur during April 2002 and will also be staged in Adelaide.