SCIENCE POLICY AND COMPETITION REFORM

Paper by Lindsay Bevege, delivered at a seminar organised by the Centre for Research in Public Sector management, University of Canberra, 15 June 2005. Australia's research policy should shift its focus to competition between institutions. At present, too much money goes to either block grants or miniscule research grants. The block grants have meant that institutions have been sluggish in responding to national policy. The small research grants (NH&MRC and ARC) represent micro-management by a central agency with all the inefficiency that goes with such an approach, they have destroyed the career paths young researchers need and waste huge resources in transaction costs across the research estate that are in many cases larger than the grants themselves. Shifting the focus to competition between institutions for long term funding would provide a more stable environment for researchers; allow much greater clarity in linking research to other public policy goals and priorities; and free up significant time and resources for research.

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