Higher Education Reform Implementation

Strengthening Research Capability

• Evaluation of Knowledge and Innovation Reforms and National Research Infrastructure Taskforce

• Research Collaboration Review

As part of the Backing Australia’s Future initiative announced in May 2003, a number of reviews into the research sector are to be undertaken to assess and improve their effectiveness.

Evaluation of Knowledge and Innovation Reforms and National Research Infrastructure Taskforce

On 17 July 2003, the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP, announced two important initiatives that will contribute to streamlining policy development and funding in the research sector:

• an evaluation of the 1999 Knowledge and Innovation reforms; and

• a Taskforce on National Research Infrastructure.

These two initiatives will be run in tandem with the Research Collaboration Review which will be looking at closer collaboration between universities and major publicly funded research agencies.

Evaluation of Knowledge and Innovation Reforms

The evaluation of 1999 Knowledge and Innovation policy statement is designed to ensure that the policy and funding framework for Australia’s block research funding schemes are effective, and efficiently managed. Further information can be obtained from the Knowledge and Innovation website:

http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/ki_reforms/default.htm

National Research Infrastructure Taskforce

The National Research Infrastructure Taskforce will develop a nationally-integrated, forward looking, strategy for national research infrastructure. The strategy will inform the Government's investment in national research infrastructure for public higher education institutions and publicly funded research agencies.

Research Collaboration Review

The Review of Closer Collaboration between Universities and Major Publicly Funded Research Agencies (the Research Collaboration Review ) was announced by Dr Nelson , the Minister for Education, Science and Training, as part of the Government’s Higher Education Reform package, Our Universities: Backing Australia’s Future.

The review will contribute to a broader evaluation of initiatives in Backing Australia’s Ability beyond 2005-06 including the Science and Innovation Mapping Exercise , the Taskforce on Research Infrastructure and Evaluation of Knowledge and Innovation Reforms.

The Review will encompass all Australian public universities and four publicly funded research agencies – the CSIRO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, the Defence Science and Technology Organisation and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

It will examine the extent to which collaboration can enhance critical mass of research effort, improve research outcomes, achieve more effective use of resources, and strengthen institutional performance.

The Review will also investigate alternative funding models to develop excellence across the national research effort, including the merits of broadening access by the publicly funded research agencies to the competitive grant schemes operated by the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council.

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Any comments or queries should be sent to: highered@dest.gov.au
This page was last updated on Monday, 04 August 2008

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