In the lead-up to the 2022 federal election, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) committed to creating an Advanced Strategic Research Agency (ASRA) within the Department of Defence. Modelled on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), ASRA would seek to ‘boost Australia’s involvement in technology sharing and research and development through the new AUKUS partnership’ by working with the US DARPA and UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Details about the proposed ASRA are limited, including its relationship with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), whose role is to ‘deliver … valued scientific advice and innovative solutio... Read more...
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is one of the longest-established parts of the Australian Government’s funding system for universities. Recently, however, the independence of the ARC’s decision-making process has been questioned by some in the research community. The issue has been considered by a Senate committee, and concerns have been raised by the Group of Eight (Go8) universities (that received around two-thirds of ARC grant funding in 2020), and a leading international scientific journal, Nature. This FlagPost explores the role of the ARC and recent changes to its remit, as well as explaining the legislative basis for, and ... Read more...
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