Academy Budget analysis shows extent of cuts to science

May 23, 2014

A new analysis of the Budget by the Australian Academy of Science shows the full scale of cuts to the science and research sector.

Despite some reprieve for key programs, the Budget analysis shows that the funding trend for many scientific agencies is slowing, while others are going into negative growth.

It shows the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s annual funding will fall by $26 million over the forward estimates, while that of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program will decline by $11 million.

The analysis also shows that most science agencies have seen a large drop in their projected funding between last year's and this year's Budgets.

The Academy of Science last week welcomed the concept of a Medical Research Future Fund and the funding boost for Future Fellowships and research infrastructure. But it also expressed serious concerns about $420 million worth of cuts to agencies like the CSIRO, the ARC and CRCs, as well as the introduction of fees for PhD students.

The Academy’s full Budget analysis can be found here.

ANTSO budget analysis
Projected government funding for ANSTO estimated in successive federal budgets. Source: Australian Treasury, Budget Papers

© 2024 Australian Academy of Science

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