Australian Research Council
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The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the Australian Government’s main agency for allocating research funding to academics and researchers in Australian universities. Its mission is to advance Australia’s capacity to undertake research that brings economic, social and cultural benefit to the Australian community. The ARC attempts to foster excellence, partnerships and high ethical standards in research and research training in all fields of science, the social sciences, and the humanities. The ARC also brokers partnerships between researchers and industry, government, community organisations and the international community. The ARC was established as an independent body under the Australian Research Council Act 2001, reporting to the federal Minister for Education, Science and Training. As of 2007, the ARC now reports to the federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.
ARC funding has increased significantly in recent years, and by 2006 will reach some A$736 million. Its funding programs come under the umbrella of the National Competitive Grants Program:
- Discovery programs, which fund individual researchers and projects;
- Linkage programs, which help to broker partnerships between researchers and industry, government and community organisations, and the international community;
- Linkage Infrastructure Equipment and Facilities program which allows universities to apply collaboratively for infrastructure to assist or underpin research in the sciences and the humanities;
- Centres programs, which build research scale, and focus and strengthen major research partnerships and networks.
The ARC Strategic Plan 2005–07 sets out the ARC's vision for the next three years. It identifies the objectives and investment strategies, and specific actions that the ARC will implement in its seven key areas of discovery, linkage, research training and careers, research infrastructure, research priorities, public engagement and effective organisation. The Strategic Plan identifies the key performance indicators which will enable the ARC to measure its progress in delivering outcomes of benefit to the community.
The Australian Research Council has been the subject of criticism. Professor Brian Martin points out that the ARC has tended to confuse inputs and outputs, that is, in assessing potential research projects it tends to look out how much money a researcher has previously been granted (2011:100); the ARC artificially sets reporting requirements such that this will confirm how effective the ARC is in promoting research (2011:100); and the result of the ARC and its recent initiatives has been to encourage competition between Universities, competition which is ultimately counterproductive to the research process (2011:101).
[edit] References
Martin, B. (2011) 'ERA: Adverse Consequences'. Australian Universities Review. 53(2): 99-102.
