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COOPERATIVE RESEARCH CENTRES – BUILDING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY ON SCIENCE
18 January 2001

Professor John White, Science Policy spokesperson for the Academy, today commented on the Government's decision to support new Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs).

'Today's announcement that nineteen Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) were successful in the latest funding round is encouraging. This brings the level of support for the program back to its earlier level of about $140 million per year.

It is notable that the new CRCs supported by the Government highlight science's contribution to developing new national wealth and producing it sustainably.

The notion of sustainability includes both a capacity to discover new resources, for example of minerals which are being depleted, and of producing and using resources in a way that causes the least collateral damage to the environment. Several of the new CRCs are devoted to these goals.

We can be confident that by investing in good people and addressing significant problems, we will see substantial gains to the Australian people in jobs, wealth and a better environment over the next ten years.

Minister Minchin is to be congratulated for consolidating this valuable CRC program.

The Chief Scientist, Dr Robin Batterham recommended an increased investment of $150 million in the CRC program over five years in his recent report The chance to change. As the program has the potential to make much greater contributions to innovation in Australia, the Academy would be very pleased to see new money injected into the program when the Prime Minister makes his innovation statement later this month.'