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Professor Peter Andrews said funding bodies such as the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) should recognise that long-term economic outcomes frequently result from “curiosity-based” research. Professor Andrews also said, on the other hand, that “the budgets of CSIRO and state government departments should be firmly directed towards research that identifies beneficial outcomes for our people”. The Queensland Chief Scientist was speaking to 450 delegates from 25 countries at the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) congress in Brisbane. “I am the first person to say we need outcomes-based research. We should focus government research on outcomes that are going to bring economic, environmental or social benefits,” he said. “At the same time, we need to make room for a creative, inspiring and fun research environment in our universities.” Professor Andrews said the ARC and NHMRC were the core providers of curiosity-based research in Australia, yet increasingly they were linking funding to expectations of economic outcomes. “If our research provides a discovery from which an outcome is possible, that’s fine, but we shouldn’t compel university researchers to identify social or economic outcomes in advance,” he said. Professor Andrews also said that Queensland was in a unique position to help the developing world through research because of its tropical climate. He said that the world’s research economy was caught up with the one billion wealthy people in the developed world. Queensland should take advantage of its research expertise in tropical agriculture and diseases to create a win/win situation for the developed and developing worlds. “There is opportunity for us, with our tropical footprint, to get out there and do something for the three billion poor people in the world,” he said. “We would also be doing something for farmers in Queensland and for the development of the biotechnology industry in the State.” Examples of current research that fitted this bill included the University of Queensland’s mosquito parasite research, and QUT’s research into enriching bananas to help combat malnutrition in Africa. “These kinds of research projects will simultaneously take Queensland’s biotechnology industry forward while providing solutions for the developing world,” he said. The INORMS congress is running until August 25 at Sofitel Brisbane. Queensland’s Department of State Development Trade and Innovation, the Australian Research Council, CSIRO National Research Flagships and the Australian Research Management Society are major sponsors of the INORMS congress. Media contacts:Colleen Clur, Compass Communications – 0418 253 340.
Images courtesy Tourism Queensland |
More Congress News Qld Chief Scientist urges funding bodies to support curiosity Brisbane hosts international research congress Media assistance: to contact speakers |
