Australia should follow other nations in pegging public funding for research to inflation to give researchers and partners more confidence, technology focused universities have told a generation review of the R&D system.
The Australian Technology Network (ATN) of Universities also wants new premium incentives for companies that engage university researchers to drive collaboration while arresting a slide in private R&D investment.
In a submission to the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD), the ATN joined sector wide calls to lift public investment in R&D to return it to globally competitive levels after a decade of decline.
But the funding should also be indexed to CPI to help ward off another drop and provide “long-term stability for researchers and industry partners”.
“International evidence demonstrates that stable public investment in R&D drives stronger private sector co-investment. Countries with long-term, indexed R&D funding mechanisms, such as Germany, South Korea, and the Netherlands, have successfully leveraged public-private partnerships to strengthen research translation, commercialisation, and industry engagement,” the submission stated.
In addition, ATN, which represents tech heavy institutions like UTS, Deakin and RMIT, called for the expansion of industry R&D incentives, including tax credits, commercialisation grants, and venture capital support to spur private investment.
A “premium” incentive for collaboration with a research organisation should also be introduced to ensure greater engagement.
Australia’s main Research and Development Tax Incentive (RDTI) already assists businesses to connect with universities and other Research Service Providers, opening up access to expertise and facilities. The spend on RSPs can be claimed as a tax offset, but at the same rate as if the work had been done by the business itself.
The ATN also backed calls for more sophisticated metrics and better outcome tracking, saying conventional indicators often undervalue or inconsistently recognise industry engagement.
“Current R&D evaluation places too much emphasis on traditional academic outputs, such as publications and citations, while failing to adequately measure the real-world impact of research,” the submission stated.
Better alignment between universities and industry on research translation and commercialisation pathways will overcome the current limited “visibility on how effectively research funding supports industry collaboration, commercialisation, and job creation,” the submission continued.
ATN’s recommended metrics for industry-funded research engagement and commercialisation success include tracking patents, non-patented technology, spinouts, start-ups, licensing and income. “Long-term innovation outcomes … ensure research translates into economic and societal benefits.”
The submission also called for an expansion of research commercialisation training for academics and researchers, and a strengthening of university technology transfer offices. This would improve universities’ ability to support researchers in navigating research commercialisation and translation pathways, the ATN said.
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