Budget bonus for postgrads, postdocs

Postdoctoral researchers are the quiet winners from the $3.1 billion innovation budget splurge. While media attention has been claimed by the $907 million Super Science Initiative – 22 major research infrastructure projects in areas like astronomy, nuclear science, marine research and information management, funded through a surprise allocation from the Education Investment Fund – the government has committed another $30 million to establish new Super Science Fellowships. 

Budget papers say the three-year postdoctoral fellowship program will encourage research in space and marine science, the climate frontier and future industries, such as nanotechnology and life sciences. The competitive program, to be administered by the Australian Research Council, will involve two rounds and offer individual grants of up to $72,500 a year. The government has committed to five years of the program, starting with a $2.6 million allocation next year.

Innovation minister Kim Carr told Campus Review the program would support 100 fellowships attached to the Super Science Initiative projects. “We’re trying to provide additional support in terms of strengthening our career paths for young researchers. Recurrent money is really very hard to get in this environment,” he said.

Carr said the $2500 increase to the Australian Postgraduate Award stipends – to $22,500 – was also a coup, especially given that APAs are tax-free. “It’s quite a significant improvement, again in a period when there’s considerable difficulties getting recurrent monies.” The government is also creating an extra 3000 APA places in 2010 as part of last year’s commitment to double the number of awards by 2012.

The boost to the stipend falls short of the recommendations in the Cutler and Bradley reviews, which called for the annual amounts to be increased to $25,000 and for scholarships to be extended to four years’ duration.

And it’s well short of the recommendation handed down last year by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation, following its inquiry into research training in universities. The committee said stipends should be boosted by 50 per cent, with possible extensions beyond four and a half years.

Nevertheless, the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations was delighted with the new stipend. CAPA president Nigel Palmer said it was an important step towards ensuring sustainability for Australian innovation and universities. “In the context of an economic downturn, reforms like this certainly help make Australia recovery-ready. We applaud the federal government and Kim Carr for supporting the future of quality teaching and research in Australia’s universities.”