ATN Universities welcomes the release of the Federal Government’s Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) final report, Ambitious Australia, which takes strong steps towards strengthening Australia’s research and development ecosystem.
The SERD review is an important opportunity for Australia to align our research priorities to best suit our national interest and economic future.
We also welcome the report’s emphasis on stronger collaboration between universities, industry andgovernment. Industry investment in R&D currently sits below the OECD average, but we have thechance with the recommended reforms to lift business investment and strengthen Australia’s national innovation system. ATN Universities believes that successful collaboration models already operating across the sector, including long-term partnerships between universities and industry, provide a strong foundation for implementing the report’s recommendations.
ATN Universities’ submission to the SERD review called for long-term stability across the research system. We also called for national strategies to align research with national interest, stronger pathways for research to reach the market, stronger national links to industry, and measures to attract, build, and retain research talent in Australia.
The SERD report leaves room for further work on implementation, but the pathway towards substantial reform has been clarified through this much-needed examination of our research and development system. ATN Universities looks forward to working with the Minister, the Hon Tim Ayres and government more broadly to ensure that the next phase of reform strengthens Australia’s capacity to translate research into real-world outcomes.
Quotes attributable to ATN Universities Executive Director Dr Andy Marks
“This examination of our research funding system can allow us to show the world what we’re capable of – by creating more opportunities for Australian researchers to bring their work out of the lab, and into the hands of the people.”
“The Ambitious Australia report provides a pathway to grow applied research. This is our best opportunity to better direct Australia’s globally renowned research excellence towards overcoming the nation’s productivity challenges.”
“ATN’s member universities are about solving real problems and we believe the SERD recommendations advance this goal. We welcome the report’s recognition that Australia’s research system must support both foundational discovery and the translation of research into real-world outcomes.”
“Combining Australia’s applied research strength with our national aptitude for foundational research sets Australia up for stronger research translation and commercialisation that can create jobs, grow wages, improve lives, increase our national security, and provide a huge economic boost.”
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