House of Representatives committee seeks twice as much grants funding
GOVERNMENT funding for research grants should be doubled so that the success rate of applications can be boosted to 40 per cent, according to a parliamentary committee report.
GOVERNMENT funding for research grants should be doubled so that the success rate of applications can be boosted to 40 per cent, according to a parliamentary committee report.
The House of Representatives standing committee on industry, science and innovation found that the success rate for Australian Research Council Discovery Projects grants hovers just above 20 per cent, while the success rate for National Health and Medical Research Council grants is 27 per cent. It is rare for applicants to receive the full amount they request from the NHMRC or ARC, and their home institution has to make up the shortfall by diverting funds from other areas.
In the case of the NHMRC, the committee recommended the Government specify that funding granted should cover the full cost of research.
The committee's first recommendation was that research and development funding as a percentage of gross domestic product be gradually boosted over the next decade until it reaches the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average of 2.3 per cent.
Universities Australia chief executive Glenn Withers said this move was positive but that "a target of 3 per cent of GDP would be an even stronger affirmation".
He said if the Government adopted the recommendation to increase the federal postgraduate award stipend by 50 per cent and link it to the consumer price index, as well as making scholarships and awards exempt, these measures would "stimulate greater participation in research degrees as well as support more and earlier completions".
The committee proposed the introduction of a national priority postgraduate research scholarship scheme for "outstanding students in areas of national significance and skills shortage".
Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations president Nigel Palmer called the proposed reforms overdue.
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