Universities seek EU escape from Donald Trump

Universities are turning to Europe for certainty on research funding amid Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on higher education, ahead of Anthony Albanese’s potential meeting with the US President.

Anthony Albanese has dismissed suggestions the government could agree to Washington’s demands to lift biosecurity rules affecting US beef imports as part of tariff negotiations. Picture: Philip Gostelow / NewsWire

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Universities are turning to ­Europe for certainty on ­research funding amid Donald Trump’s ­escalating attacks on higher education, ahead of ­Anthony Albanese’s potential meeting with the US President to discuss defence spending and biosecurity restrictions for beef imports.

Universities Australia has sent its top representative to Brussels to push for membership of an EU-linked $169bn fund to fill the void left by the US, in the wake of ­Australian researchers having American funding paused or terminated.

As Trade Minister Don Farrell steps up negotiations for a EU free-trade agreement, UA chief executive Luke Sheehy on Friday met officials from the European Commission and Australia’s EU ambassador Angus Campbell to discuss how the nation could join.

Universities were plunged into uncertainty in March when the Trump administration began cancelling funding for research projects and sent a survey to institutions that received US investment, asking if they had links to China or agreed with the President’s views on gender.

With Mr Trump’s political agenda threatening the status of the US as Australia’s biggest research partner, Mr Sheehy urged Senator Farrell to raise membership to the initiative as part of trade deal discussions. “Growing geopolitical uncertainties are threatening to reshape our existing research alliances and we must adapt to remain ahead of the game,” Mr Sheehy said.

“Our Trade Minister is in Paris this week restarting negotiations on a trade deal with the EU and I strongly encourage him to make Australia’s involvement in Horizon Europe a feature of those conversations.”

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy.

Mr Sheehy said signing up to Horizon Europe would allow Australia to join Canada and New Zealand as non-EU members and grant the nation’s researchers access to secure funding. Though historically Australia has been reluctant about joining because of the cost, Mr Sheehy said membership would grant researchers access to projects with massive budgets.

Canada paid about $150m to join the initiative.

“There is a strong appetite in Europe to have Australia come on board,” Mr Sheehy said.

“For what is a relatively modest investment, our best and brightest would gain access to billions of dollars in potential funding to take their work to the next level.”

Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres signalled the government was open to engaging with Horizon Europe, adding that Australia had a “highly productive science and technology relationship with the EU”.

“We’re aware international membership is growing in Horizon Europe and we’re looking at how Australia can best engage,” a spokesman said.

Fears over research funding will cast a shadow over an anticipated meeting between the Prime Minister and Mr Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada next week, when Mr Albanese is expected to raise the US request for Australia to lift its defence spending and a carve-out from tariffs.

On Friday Mr Albanese dismissed suggestions the government could agree to Washington’s demands to lift biosecurity rules affecting US beef imports as part of tariff negotiations by allowing cattle that had been raised in Canada and Mexico but slaughtered in the US to be sold in Australia.

“We will not change or compromise any of the issues regarding biosecurity – full stop, exclamation mark. It’s simply not worth it,” he told ABC Radio.

Changes would be looked at if “things can be sorted out in a way that protects our biosecurity”.

One of Australia’s biggest meat processors and exporters of beef to the US said Labor should not bend biosecurity rules for the sake of a deal on tariffs.

Terry Nolan, of Nolan Meats, who exports about 10 per cent of his product to the US, said he had spent five years trying to gain ­access to the American market.

“I don’t think Labor should be changing the rules to make it easier for the US to sell beef into Australia,” he said.

“The US system does not have the equivalent biosecurity to the Australian system. We had to jump through hoops, so they should too.

“We spent five years arguing that our product was equivalent to US standards and they should too.”

Additional reporting: Matthew Cranston