
Universities and learned academies call for Australian Research Council to back basic work
Leading universities and researchers want the Australian Research Council to be obliged to boost support for fundamental research, as a wide-ranging official review takes place following a tumultuous year for the funder.
The Australian Research Council distributes more than A$800 million annually for research carried out by universities and university-industry partnerships. But in recent years government decisions, including a ministerial veto over decisions, have sparked alarm and the funder has also struggled to keep the community onside in other issues relating to its grants.