There is a US proposal to find ways to spend more money for science on science. But who in Australia could do the same?
Anybody know what the Chief Scientist is up to?
The Federation of American Scientists is admirably apolitical in presenting a proposal to reduce the bureaucratic burden on research. They certainly do not complain about the Trump Administration’s 15% cap on paying indirect costs from research grants (which is 15% more than Commonwealth-funded agencies allow here).
Rather, the Americans publish a proposal for the President to issue an Executive Order to address the “troubling bureaucratic burden” on US universities’ $100bn research spend, 50% from the feds.
Researchers, management consultant Michele Zanini warns, scientists spend half their time on administration and 20% of their budgets go to regulatory compliance.
He sets out a plan for the bureaucracy to provide a base-line on costs they impose and in six months report:
- “Unnecessary costs” of research bureaucracy and specific savings of a roll-back
- Benefits of “faster approval cycles, better decision-making, and less conservatism in research proposals”
- A bureaucracy tracker
- A time-lined savings list per agency.
“Giving researchers and administrators a voice in reimagining the system they navigate daily will generate better insights and build commitment for change,” he writes.
“The potential upside is enormous: millions of research days could be freed from paperwork for lab work.”