Parliament House
Canberra
[check against delivery]
Introduction
Thank you Professor Margaret Sheil.
I would also like to acknowledge the many Members of Parliament, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Pro-Vice Chancellors, chief executives and research fellows present today.
It is an auspicious occasion.
I am here today to announce the inaugural Australian Research Council Future Fellows.
These researchers bring with them the creativity to imagine a better world – the courage to invest their knowledge into ideas – and the ambition to devote their careers to these pursuits.
The Government is responding by developing new ways to support their efforts.
Researchers give us the knowledge we need to fuel the innovation process – and very often the skills we need to drive it forward.
What you can never underestimate is the extraordinary capacity of individuals.
I come from the school of thought that asserts people make their own history, but not entirely on their own terms.
However, in politics we are inspired by individuals who make extraordinary contributions – usually because they simply will not give up.
People who show the strength of character to effect change are the ones who overcome adversity and prevail.
These traits are not only present in our politicians, but they are the traits that turn our scholars into innovators.
Our remarkable research fellows are making contributions in areas of national importance.
Each fellow will head up a project that promises to deliver very substantial benefits to Australia and the wider world – whether economic, environmental, cultural, or social.
Dr Amin Abbosh is directing a project that will seek to improve the quality of life for women diagnosed with breast cancer.
Dr Anthony Richardson will put Australia at the forefront of understanding the way marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.
And Dr Vedi Hadiz will review Australia’s responses to Islamic radicalism in Indonesia, and provide a better understanding of the social forces impacting on democracy in the region.
These are just three of the hundreds of innovative projects being pursued by mid-career researchers under the Future Fellowships Scheme – researchers this Government is determined to support.
The Howard years were all too often lost years for researchers who were in the middle of their career.
There was a gap in the career path.
Our best and brightest researchers completed their PhDs and post-doctorates, and then had nowhere to go.
Some fellowships were available, but these were few and far between.
We have replaced this segmented and episodic support for mid-career researchers with real support.
This government is powering ideas.
We see innovation as holistic, so we are supporting researchers’ careers in a holistic way – creating viable career paths by:
- doubling the number Australian Postgraduate Awards for research trainees and increasing the stipend;
- establishing Super Science Fellowships for early-career researchers; and
- introducing Australian Laureate Fellowships for senior researchers.
The Government established the ARC Future Fellowships Scheme to address the lack of opportunities for mid-career researchers in Australia – bridging the gap we inherited from the previous Government.
We allocated $844 million to the scheme in the 2008-09 Budget.
Over five years, the scheme will provide four-year fellowships of up to $135,000 a year.
Each researcher’s administering organisation will receive up to $50,000 a year for infrastructure, equipment, travel, relocation and other support costs.
These fellowships are available to a broad range of disciplines – including medical and health sciences, biological, chemical and environmental sciences and physical sciences, mathematics, IT and engineering.
HASS
We should never forget, however, that the humanities, arts and social science disciplines are also critical to the innovation process.
That is why it is so pleasing to see that 20 per cent of the fellowships have been awarded to researchers in these fields.
Their work is critical for a host of reasons:
- there are problems that only these disciplines can solve
- they contribute to multidisciplinary solutions
- they equip people in all disciplines with the skills they need to do their job, and
- they inspire and empower the wider community to imagine alternatives.
The biggest challenges we face today demand responses that draw equally on our knowledge of how the physical world works, and our knowledge of how human beings work.
We cannot answer these challenges without the humanities, arts and social sciences.
International collaboration
And of course, innovation is harnessed by collaborating and sharing ideas and expertise.
The Government is increasing opportunities for international collaboration throughout the research community.
The first round of the ARC Future Fellowships scheme sees 19 Australian mid-career researchers return home, and 22 international researchers come to our shores.
This builds on our international ties with the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and France.
But it also develops research collaborations with our Asia-Pacific neighbours – including China, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia
Conclusion
There has never been a more important time to invest in our research capacity.
We have opened up new career pathways for our best researchers.
And we are fostering the next generation of research leaders.
Congratulations to the 200 successful ARC Future Fellows, some of whom are here today.
Their high-quality research and exemplary mentoring ability will help them address issues of national importance and provide benefits to all Australians.