Preliminary Pages

Foreword

This Committee began the 42^nd Parliament with an inquiry into research training and research workforce issues in Australian Universities, culminating with the report Building Australia’s Research Capacity. This inquiry sought to build on the first research inquiry, focusing on our ability to engage in research at an international level. In particular, this inquiry examined the impediments to collaborating internationally and ways to address those impediments.

Several key issues were raised in a large number of submissions to the inquiry and these are examined in this report.

The International Science Linkages program was described as being of immense value to international collaboration, yet the program is said to be winding down and is not funded beyond June 2011. The Committee is seeking clarification on the status of the program and the implications for international engagement if it does indeed cease.

Visa issued were raised with the Committee. It is unfortunate and regrettable that problems with visa applications have prevented effective international collaboration. It is deeply embarrassing to our research institutions to have researchers suffer through immigration bureaucratic processes or, at worst, be refused entry to Australia.

Australian researchers are highly regarded around the world. The appointment of science counsellor positions in strategic locations around the world should strengthen our reputation as an effective research partner and promote the benefits of engagement with Australian researchers.

The Committee recognises that international collaboration is driven at the individual researcher level, through one-on-one contact, or engagement between research groups, schools or institutions. The Committee also recognises that we are indeed very distant from most of our research partners and that face-to-face collaboration is expensive. Rather than setting a particular direction or providing prescriptive guidelines on how to collaborate, the Australian Government should continue to provide assistance to encourage and facilitate international collaboration.

It is hoped that the measures recommended in this report will help facilitate our continuing engagement in research at the international level.

Maria Vamvakinou MP
Chair

Membership of the Committee

Committee Secretariat

Terms of reference

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Innovation shall inquire into and report on Australia's international research engagement, with particular reference to:

1. The nature and extent of existing international research collaborations.

2. The benefits to Australia from engaging in international research collaborations.

3. The key drivers of international research collaboration at the government, institutional and researcher levels.

4. The impediments faced by Australian researchers when initiating and participating in international research collaborations and practical
measures for addressing these.

5. Principles and strategies for supporting international research engagement.

List of abbreviations

List of recommendations

3 Impediments to outbound researchers

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research investigate the viability of a small grants scheme to be established to support the travel expense of Australian early-career researchers who win time on foreign instruments and facilities that are unavailable in Australia.

4 Impediments to incoming researchers

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship make formal contact with the human resources sections of all relevant universities and research institutions explaining the most appropriate visa that should be used for visiting researchers.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship remain in close contact with the human resource departments of universities and research institutions that are responsible for visa applications, reporting to these bodies monthly on the progress of active visa applications.

Recommendation 4

The Committee recommends that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship streamline the visa application process for visiting researchers by replacing the section that requires applicants to detail the benefits to Australia of their planned visit with a simplified section consisting of check boxes containing common reasons for academic visits.

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that the federal Minister for Education formulate a proposal for consideration through COAG recommending that visiting researchers that have an Australian tax file number and are contracted to work on research projects for more than six months be eligible to receive public education for all school age children.

5 Access to domestic and bilateral research grants

Recommendation 6

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government implement a quota of 10 per cent of ARC and NHMRC successful grants to be allocated to early-career researchers who are first-time awardees.

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government specify that competitive grants, in particular all National Health and Medical Research Council grants, fund the full cost of research in each program to which a grant has been awarded.

Recommendation 8

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research announce a successor program to the International Science Linkages program as soon as practicable to address the concerns of the research community.

Recommendation 9

The Committee recommends that the successor program to the International Science Linkages program has its budget increased and indexed, and, pending proven success of the new program, that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research seek to have funding increased further in future budgets.

Recommendation 10

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research investigate the operation of the Canadian small grant scheme and report on its effectiveness and the potential benefits to Australia of duplicating the scheme in its review of the International Science Linkages program.

Recommendation 11

The Committee recommends that the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council allocate a fixed percentage of research funding to ‘blue-sky’ research.

Recommendation 12

The Committee recommends that the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council relax the restrictions on researchers spending funding overseas on a trial basis for the next two funding rounds, and that the organisations review the impacts of this policy to determine whether it should be a permanent feature of research funding.

Recommendation 13

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research propose to Australia’s bilateral funding scheme partners a streamlined application process consisting of both countries setting aside a defined total amount of funds, with each country separately administering the granting process.

Recommendation 14

The Committee recommends that the Australia-China Science and Technology Program has its funding increased and indexed, and that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research seek to increase funding to the scheme as its budgetary situation improves.

6 Access to overseas-based grant schemes

Recommendation 15

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research familiarise itself with the grant application requirements of the US National Institute of Health and the US National Science Foundation and make this information available to Australian universities and research institutions.

7 Strategies and Opportunities

Recommendation 16

The Committee recommends that the science counsellor program be revitalised, initially on a smaller scale than the previous program, with full-time science counsellor positions for the European Union, United States, China, and India. Additionally, the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research should seek to expand the program to other relevant areas of significance to Australian research as is necessary.

Recommendation 17

The Committee recommends that the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research be given full ministerial responsibility for supporting international research collaboration.

Recommendation 18

The Committee recommends that the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research seek the funding to establish an International Research Collaboration Office to consult with stakeholders in Australian research and to act as a conduit between Australian researchers and overseas research organisations and funding bodies.