ACGR welcomes national R&D review and supports reforms to strengthen research training.
The Australian Council of Graduate Research (ACGR) welcomes the release of the Australian Government’s Ambitious Australia: Strategic Examination of Research and Development report and its strong focus on strengthening Australia’s research training system.
ACGR supports the report’s recommendations to expand industry engagement in research training and improve financial support for PhD candidates. These recommendations are important for supporting the diversity and sustainability of our future research workforce.
ACGR President Professor Louise Sharpe said the report recognises the vital role research training plays in building Australia’s future innovation capability.
“PhD candidates are central to Australia’s research and development system. Strengthening research training and building stronger connections between universities and industry will help ensure Australia develops the highly skilled and diverse workforce needed to drive innovation,” Professor Sharpe said.
The Council welcomes the recommendation to lift stipend levels to improve the attractiveness of PhD study for Australian students, noting that this will support candidates from all disciplinary backgrounds to contribute to the identified priority pillars. While the recommended increase for PhD stipends in priority fields is a good start, none of our PhD students should be forced to exist near or below the poverty line regardless of their chosen topic. ACGR further supports the proposal to extend tax-free treatment to part-time research scholarships, noting this would address a longstanding inequity affecting part-time PhD candidates.
“Ensuring fair financial support for both full-time and part-time PhD candidates is essential if Australia is to attract and retain talented researchers,” Professor Sharpe said.
ACGR is supportive of the need to provide flexibility for in the prioritisation of high-quality research but cautions that significant reductions in research activity across 50% of taught subjects at a University may have uneven impacts on Australia’s supervision capacity within several disciplines. Given the importance of multidisciplinary research to solving the most complex challenges of our time, careful consideration needs to be given to the availability of research supervision in all areas.
ACGR looks forward to working with government, universities and industry partners to support implementation of the report’s recommendations.