Labor releases science policy, with a boost for CRCs

On Saturday, the Labor Party released a $1.2 billion policy on Australian science, which included its CRC policy. The announcement can be found here.

If elected, Labor is promising the following in relation to CRCs:

  • Boost funding by $39 million over 4 years and $180 million over 10 years;
  • Run two additional CRC funding rounds;
  • Remove the 10-year limit on a CRC’s life that was adopted following the Miles Review;
  • Restore “public good” CRCs;
  • Establish an Australian Biosecurity Institute ($79 million over 4 years) to take on the work of the Plant Biosecurity and Invasive Animals CRCs when they finish in 2017).

In addition, Senator Carr has committed to restoring the Collaborative Research Networks (these were the networks that linked smaller universities to more research intensive ones) and a boost in funding to the Industrial Transformation Centres (these are the centres within the ARC, similar in scale to a CRC-P but from a university and with a wider industry focus). CSIRO and the University Block Grants (to fund indirect costs of research) get big boosts in dollars.