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Go8 denies research proposal would be cash grab
The Go8 has lashed back against accusations that its research funding proposal is unfair and self-centred.
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Another good reason for ensuring wider distribution of research funding is that most of the research done in regional Universities is directed to their own regions. Far less Go8 research is directed into regional Australia.
If the Go8 stood to get less funding under this argument, it might have some credibility. Under the circumstances, it looks conspicuously disingenuous. Can Vicki show us the evidence that funded research done by lower ERA ranked groups doesn’t produce worthwhile outcomes? Surely the majority of competitive research funding is already weighted towards the same factors that contribute to ERA rankings? As Ian highlighted, there are many factors that should influence the distribution of research funds, and yet another simplistic single-digit score is a fairly low-brow blunt tool that has a low probability of being helpful.
The ARC already gives out its research funds based solely on current merit. Attempting to align the present day evaluation of proposed projects with ERA, which measures popularity of previous research several years ago, is a reflection of the desperate nature of research funding felt by all universities.