Much Needed Boost to Research Infrastructure

"CAPA is delighted by the twenty-second recommendation of the Senate Committee report, Universities in Crisis, that the level of support to university researchers provided under the Research Infrastructure Block Grants Scheme (RIBG) be increased," CAPA President John Byron said today.

The RIBG provides funds to cover the infrastructure costs associated with competitive research grants.

"We are pleased that the committee recognises the importance of supporting university research with the funding that allows that research to get done: that is, funding that provides researchers with the necessary infrastructure to carry out their work," Mr Byron continued.

"University research is about much more than just the researchers themselves and the incomes they receive. Quality research must also be supported by funding for infrastructure," he added.

"We hope that when implemented, increased support through the RIBG will include an allocation for the elite research fellowships currently excluded by the RIBG scheme," CAPA Vice-President Angela Pratt observed.

"Increased support through the RIBG is also particularly important for the newer and smaller universities, which don't have the reserves to provide the sort of infrastructure researchers need when government funding is insufficient," Ms Pratt added.

"Research infrastructure is yet another area which has been neglected by the Coalition government since 1996," she continued.

"Backing Australia's Ability, the Coalition's "innovation' package announced earlier this year, opted only for flashy, big-ticket items designed to appeal to voters. It did not include less sexy, but no less important items such as funding for basic research infrastructure," Ms Pratt said.

"Funding for good research and research infrastructure now is crucial to Australia's prosperity in the future. We are pleased that the Committee recognises the importance of this kind of basic support for research," Mr Byron concluded.