The Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council have announced three new agreements, following a recent meeting.
$50m over five years for collaborative research
Each council will contribute $25m for work “to address complex national challenges that cannot be solved by any discipline, sector or organisation alone.” The statement nominates priority areas including: ageing, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, pandemic preparedness, climate change, and “emerging technologies.”
They agreed to “develop priority initiatives and funding mechanisms.”
Strengthening trust in research
The research funding councils have emphasised the importance of rekindling public trust in research. This needs to occur not just through the traditional routes of seeking to share compelling stories of research outcomes and impact, but also rebuild trust by communicating openly about uncertainty and risk, and building public understanding of efforts to protect security of Australian research.
Supporting fair, effective and sustainable assessment
Increased applications are putting pressure on peer reviewers and funding schemes, the councils said. Universities and MRIs should build “a framework” for dealing with increased applications. There are no details of next steps, but the agreement follows a previous commitment with Universities Australia to develop priority initiatives and funding mechanisms for government to consider.