Thread by @SenKimCarr

Yesterday @IRUAustralia produced data showing how Australian #research funding has changed over the past decade, suggesting that the nation needs more open research funding #auspol
iru.edu.au/news/universit…

Australia’s research funding has increased over the past decade, the proportion of “open” funds has fallen from 26 percent in 2006 to 20 percent in 2016 according to @IRUAustralia #auspol

Under Labor total research funding to universities increased by almost 30 percent between 2007 and 2012. This included research programs like SRE, and Future Fellowships @arc_gov_au #auspol

Some research funding like SRE, was cut by the Liberals by $263 million in 2015. And future fellowships is a smaller program after the Pyne cuts #auspol
theaustralian.com.au/national-affai…

However I don’t agree that the change of open vs directed funding is the most profound or worrying. It’s the decline of basic #research #aupol

Since 1992 the proportion of higher education research and development – HERD – devoted to basic research has fallen from 40 percent to 23 percent in 2016. #auspol
abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.…

And between 2014 and 2016 government R&D spending on fundamental research fell by $50 million
abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.…

This is something @billshortenmp spoke about last year at the @ShineDome:
If we want to be the nation which hands on a better deal to future generations, a lot of that comes from backing basic research now
billshorten.com.au/speech_address…

Why does basic research matter? Simply put its is basic research that expands our knowledge. Without new discoveries there can be no research to apply, translate, and implement #auspol
sciencenordic.com/what-basic-res…

More & more studies show that it is gov investment in basic research that has the most benefit for our economy and society. This publication from @economist_chief argues that spending on research at uni’s has the most positive impact on firm level R&D
industry.gov.au/data-and-publi…

And in the @ConversationUS traces the links between Uber and pure mathematics. #auspol #science #research
theconversation.com/tracing-the-li…

Remember in Australia how work by @CSIRO_News scientists into black holes eventually lead to the development of WiFi? . #auspol #science #research
data61.csiro.au/en/Our-Work/Fu…

To paraphrase the 1992 Clinton campaign, “Its basic research stupid.” As a country we should be prioritising more investment into basic research, and less on the privatisation of public science and funding through private foundations #reefgate #auspol