Research workforce strategy imminent but funding 'unlikely'

One of the sector's worst fears about the federal government's upcoming research workforce strategy seems well founded. The federal government's long-anticipated research workforce strategy will be released on April 19 - devoid of a funding commitment. Research and Innovation Minister Senator Kim Carr confirmed the strategy's launch date last week and gave the strongest indication yet that associated funding would not be forthcoming. "Given the current restricted fiscal environment, as a consequence of recent natural disasters and the government's commitment to return the budget to surplus by 2012-13, it is unlikely that funding related to the research workforce strategy will be awarded in the May budget," Carr told Campus Review. The higher education sector had been anticipating the possibility of what it will undoubtedly perceive as bad news. "Before the floods, we thought there would be at least some [funding], and increasingly I've been concerned that that's not the case," said Tammi Jonas, president of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations. Jonas is one of 17 sector and government representatives who sat on a reference group that advised on the strategy last year. In addition, more than 70 individuals, universities and peak bodies made submissions to a related consultation paper. Carr said the final strategy would address the nation's supply and demand needs for research-qualified PhDs, the quality of research training here, and the challenges faced by research students and researchers in building an Australian career. "[The] strategy seeks to help us identify what the workforce needs of the research community will be to 2020, and ensure that we are as well equipped as we possibly can be for future challenges we're facing, particularly within the innovation system," he said in the recent HASS on the Hill address at Parliament House. Originally due by the end of 2010, the strategy had been held up by the federal election and the need for "whole-of-government consideration", Carr told CR. It is not yet clear how it will dovetail with other policy moves driven by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, such as the 2011 strategic road map for research infrastructure and pending R&D tax incentive legislation. Across the sector, there is widespread agreement that a phased approach to the research workforce woes is best, and it is expected that proposed solutions will be reflected in the final document. Equally unanimous, however, has been the cautionary caveat that many of the proposals require more government investment to succeed. But Jonas noted the minister had been signalling a downturn in research funding for some time. Professor Chris Cocklin, chair of the Innovative Research Universities research group, said he would be disappointed but not surprised if the strategy came down without funding. "We're all attuned to the fact that there's a degree of fiscal tightness at the present time," Cocklin said. But some of the reforms the sector was advocating were cost-neutral and should be implemented as a priority, he said. Others - such as the extension of Australian Postgraduate Awards from three to four years - required more funds, and he was worried about a lost opportunity. "What would concern me more profoundly is that if we have a response to [the strategy] that's partial, then it's going to be desperately difficult to pick that up again at some point in the future. Some of the important reform that's really critical may get lost and forgotten about," Cocklin said. The Council for Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences was not ready to give up the call for more funding, either, especially for short-term supply fixes, such as money for research training schemes, incentives for early take-up of research careers while studying, and subsidies for universities forced to endure the high costs of overseas recruitment. "There needs to be an urgent injection of funding to boost the supply of students commencing [higher degree by research] programs, given the apparent stagnation and projected under-supply of researchers into the near future," said council executive director Angela Magarry. "Government should look to topping up the scholarships for areas of high demand or areas of national importance." As the sector awaits the government's blueprint, it continues to be plagued by well-known problems such as an ageing academic workforce, a drop in PhD commencements, and more - all in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. "These things are all looming concerns," Jonas said. "A strong innovation economy relies on a strong research workforce, and I just see it dwindling."