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National roadmap for research infrastructure shows the way
The Australian Government has released a comprehensive roadmap outlining the research infrastructure priorities essential for building Australian research excellence into the future.
Releasing the 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham, and Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, congratulated Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, and the expert working group on a thorough analysis of Australia’s research infrastructure priorities.
“The Roadmap provides comprehensive advice and highlights the success of Australia’s current research infrastructure system in supporting research excellence,” Minister Sinodinos said.
“These facilities underpin great research that benefits Australians in their everyday lives in areas as diverse as treating chronic diseases like melanoma and increasing yields in key crops to improve our food security.”
The 2016 Roadmap has identified nine focus areas for infrastructure investment:
- digital data and e-research platforms
- platforms for humanities arts and social sciences
- characterisation (techniques for understanding the properties of materials)
- advanced fabrication and manufacturing
- advanced physics and astronomy
- earth and environmental systems
- biosecurity
- complex biology
- therapeutic development.
Minister Birmingham said that the 2016 Roadmap was developed through extensive consultation with the research community, universities, research institutes, state government and industry.
“The Roadmap made a number of recommendations that the Government will consider over the coming months,” Minister Birmingham said.
“Key to our consideration will be the development of a research infrastructure investment plan to develop a broad understanding of the range and scale of the infrastructure required for the future so that Australia continues to deliver cutting edge research outcomes.
“The plan will inform how we approach future investment in national research infrastructure and equipment needs across the sector consistent with the 2016 Roadmap, including in the publicly funded research agencies. It will be developed in consultation with Innovation and Science Australia and the Commonwealth Science Council,” Minister Sinodinos said.
The Roadmap attracted considerable stakeholder interest, with more than 320 submissions commenting on the expert working group’s capability issues paper and more than 170 comments on the draft roadmap.
The expert working group also directly consulted more than 580 stakeholders and made 51 site visits.
Expert Reaction
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue. Feel free to use these quotes in your stories. Views expressed are the personal opinions of the experts named. They do not represent the views of the SMC or any other organisation unless specifically stated.
Belinda Robinson is Chief Executive of Universities Australia
Bunsen burners are no longer the principal tools in modern science and research. This roadmap sets out a plan for the kind of infrastructure researchers will need to cure disease, improve food security, and develop new technology."
"While this plan is an important step in setting the priorities for Australia’s research infrastructure, how it will be funded remains unclear."
"Universities Australia continues to be concerned that the proposed closure of the $3.7 billion Education Investment Fund (EIF) would mean a lack of long-term funding for the vision set out today."
"It's great to have a map, but you also need petrol in the tank to reach your destination."
"I would like to congratulate Dr Finkel and the working group on their excellent work in developing a bold vision for Australia’s research infrastructure future.
Professor Tanya Monro is Australia's Chief Defence Scientist
Australia’s capacity to stay at the leading edge in materials and device fabrication and characterisation is critical if we are to drive impact from Australia’s outstanding and diverse research in this area, which has applications from personalised medical diagnostics to new renewable technology solutions. What’s particularly heartening is the possibility this presents for focusing on infrastructure of the scale and nature required to foster industry-university collaboration.
Kylie Walker is the CEO of Science & Technology Australia
This Roadmap represents a comprehensive and strong vision for major research infrastructure, which is vital for the future of science and technology in Australia. Dr Alan Finkel and the Expert Working Group are to be commended for their wholistic approach and robust recommendations.
Science & Technology Australia is pleased that the report has incorporated our suggestions for supporting important research infrastructure with ongoing operational funding and training for expert operational staff, providing timely and merit-based access for important research, and ensuring Australian access to key international infrastructure.
Australia must act on this Roadmap as quickly as possible. With bold and decisive leadership and strong strategic investment in outstanding research infrastructure, Australia has the opportunity to consolidate its position as a world-class driver of scientific and technological discovery and invention.
We look forward to the Government’s response to this Roadmap and urge it to move as quickly as possible to announce its plan to fund Australia’s research infrastructure.
Professor Les Field is Secretary for Science Policy at the Australian Academy of Science
The Academy now looks forward to the release of the Government’s research infrastructure investment plan."
"Infrastructure funding in this plan must be long-term, strategic and insulated from annual budgetary fluctuations, consistent with the long-term nature and nation-building capacity of research infrastructure investment – most big infrastructure has a lifetime over decades, not months or years."
"It is important to build in mechanisms to bring on new infrastructure that would support Australia’s research programs in five to ten years’ time, and these may well be areas which are in their infancy now or indeed areas we don’t know about yet.
Professor Tony Cunningham AO is the President of the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes (AAMRI)
AAMRI welcomes the release of the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap.
The Roadmap provides a plan to ensure Australia’s research infrastructure remains world-class and will allow us to continue our excellent science.
We are particularly pleased to see the future needs of health and medical research infrastructure feature within the plan, including in areas such as biosecurity, complex biology, therapeutic development and high performance computing.
Australian researchers need access to world-class research infrastructure if we are to make new discoveries and turn these into new therapies, treatments, diagnostics and medical devices that will improve and save lives.
Today is an exciting day, and I look forward to the development of the Roadmap Investment Plan that was announced as part of the Federal Budget earlier this week.
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