With the findings of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development suggesting a restructure of Australia’s research settings to follow national priorities, and the ‘Future made in Australia’ outlining key areas of STEM research, the CSIRO’s place in Australia’s research future is in flux.
CAPA believes that protecting postgraduate students during this review should be a chief priority of the Economics References Committee to ensure minimal disruption to postgraduate research projects. The CSIRO is a reputed provider of research training, providing supervision for over 1000 postgraduate students, over 600 of which are higher degree by research (HDR) candidates. We have covered extensively the role of HDR students in Australia’s research ecosystem in previous submissions made to the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) review, the Productivity Commission, and the NHRMRC National Strategy.
The support and supervision of the student is paramount to the successful completion of the HDR program, and, by extension, the candidate’s mental health and future research prospects. We recommend that transition funding be put in place to ensure no postgraduate students will be impacted by the CSIRO funding and job cuts. If funding is to be cut, programs supporting HDR candidates should be grandfathered to ensure their continued support for the duration of their programs.
When deciphering what role the CSIRO will play in Australia’s research future, significant thought should be given the role of HDR students. As previously mentioned, HDR students contribute the majority of research hours in Australia. As Australia’s premier research institute, CSIRO should continue to offer top-up scholarships to affiliated HDR students. These programs incentivise HDR students to participate in projects that are in the national public interest.
