The Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes makes its standard case in its budget submission; their members’ work is vital and they need more money. This year will be “decisive“ AMRI argues and the budget “must focus on the long-term national value of medical research, not short-term cost containment.”
The sell is standard, but AAMRI is especially exercised that the Medical Research Future Fund doles out more cash – asking for $1bn a year instead of the present $650m per annum, which is set to stay through to ‘2033-’34.
The Association has campaigned for months on this, arguing $1bn was supposed to be standard and with $24bn in the kitty, is affordable.
The Commonwealth is staying schtum on why it has reduced the outlay, which gives AAMRI open slather on the outrage; but it might be because net returns on investments bounce around and if income does not cover awarded grants the Government is on the hook. It happened at the start of the decade when MRFF earnings were $2.15bn in ‘20’-21 and $18m the next year. Treasury had to kick in $280m over two Budget to meet research commitments.
AAMRI also includes a perennial, calling for an increase in research grants to cover “indirect costs”, basically what is required to keep laboratories working. University-based research institutes can pick up 20% of a grant amount to fund the back-end through the Department of Education, but independent MRIs are on their own. AAMRI accordingly proposes an extra 35% on top of individual grants.
The Association also wants another $90m, presumably per year, “to ensure researchers are ”appropriately renumerated” and doubling MRFF money for mid-career research programmes, “to strengthen the national skills pipeline.”
AAMRI knows exactly how to spend the $350m a year the MRFF is hanging on to.