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HIGH-STAKES RISKS ON SCIENCE RESEARCH FUNDING
15 November 2006

Some universities will be gambling on their future funding in a high-stakes game based on the new Research Quality Framework (RQF), the Australian Academy of Science said today.

Under the RQF, announced this week by Federal Science Minister Julie Bishop, the $600 million in funding available to universities will go to research groups judged to be the best based on the quality and impact of their past work.

This effect will be magnified by the degree to which universities can maximise their research group expertise through cherry-picking - recruiting scientists with the best track records.

The Academys science policy spokesperson Professor Philip Kuchel said: 'The recommended RQF remains short on detail on the relative funding that will flow to the nations top researchers, as assessed by quality and impact ratings.

He stressed that in the absence of knowledge of the RQF funding formula and of the overall block grant, some universities will be using merit and market loadings in a game with very high stakes: 'The RQF process has in the past year or so had the hidden benefit of encouraging mobility in the Higher Education System, as universities try to second-guess the RQF formula by attracting and retaining outstanding research staff.

'This mobility, including recruitment from overseas, can only increase in the next few months, following this weeks announcement that credit for research will be attributed to the institution where the researcher is employed on 31 March 2007.

'The Academy welcomes the consequence, probably inadvertent, of performance-based remuneration for the nations best researchers.

'It also agrees with Chief Scientist Dr Jim Peacock that the overall block grant should be increased to reward research of high quality and relevance.