OUTLOOK ASSESSING SCIENCE
FUNDING BY NUMBERS
Australia and New Zealand both rely on assessment schemes to improve research quality, yet the money associated with each is very different. By Julie Gould. The Excellence in Research for Australia defines research as:
Australia’s budget for higher-education research and development is an order of magnitude larger than that of New Zealand, yet the amount of money determined by Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) is significantly smaller.
Cairns
$1.3M Northern Territory 2 universities
Western Australia 5 universities
$8.5M
Funding for universities as determined by ERA assessment1.
AUSTRALIA RESEARCH ASSESSMENT FUNDING BY STATE
Darwin
“The creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understanding.”
Townsville
Queensland 8 universities
South Australia 3 universities
Brisbane
$7.7M New South Wales 10 universities $28.6M
Perth
$0.3M
Other (Australian Catholic University, across 4 states)
$14.2M
Adelaide
$6.9M
Victoria 9 universities $24.1M Hobart
SCHOLARLY SPENDING New Zealand continues to increase gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD), but Australia is starting to pull back2.
(state, local, federal and competitive grants, inc. ERA)
$4.2B
Experimental development $0.7M
Donations $0.2B
$9.1B
Percentage of GDP spent on GERD
The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment comprises only 0.08% of all government funding for higher-education research and development (HERD)1.
Government
22M
Melbourne
MONEY MATTERS
Business $0.4B
Population:
Sydney Canberra
Tasmania 1 university $2.3M
Overseas $0.2B
Australian Capital Territory 2 universities
Strategic basic research General University funds
(new knowledge in specific areas)
$1.8B
(e.g. student fees)
$5.1B
Sources of funding
Pure basic research
$9.1B
Applied research $4.2B
HERD expenditure
(new knowledge with no agenda)
$2.3B
2.5
Australia 2.0
1.5
1.0 2000
New Zealand*
2002
2004
2006
Year
2008
2010
*Data for Australia are produced on even years; data for New Zealand are produced on odd years.
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA: TIMELINE Policy-makers and government officials have changed funding allocations from formula favouring quantity to assessment criteria favouring quality3. 1990 Australian Research Council established. Introduction of Unified National System, which was a framework to reorganize and improve higher education in Australia.
1995
2000
Research block funding became formula based, measuring number of papers published.
2005 Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, calls for new Research Quality Framework (RQF).
2010 ERA pilot study.
2015 ERA 2012 report.
Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) announced.
Next ERA evaluation.
RQF abandoned.
References: 1. Research and Experimental Development, Higher Education Organisations (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010), available at go.nature.com/1obhsa; 2. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics; 3. Kwok, J. T. Impact of ERA Research Assessment on University Behaviour and their Staff (NTEU National Policy and Research Unit, 2013) available at go.nature.com/c2ypxa;
. d e v r e s e R s t h g i R l l A . d e t i m i L s r e h s i l b u P n a l l i m c a M 4 1 0 2 ©
S 5 2 | N AT U R E | V O L 5 1 1 | 2 4 J U LY 2 0 1 4 | C O R R E C T E D O N 2 5 J U LY 2 0 1 4
ASSESSING SCIENCE OUTLOOK
2010
All data are from 2010 unless otherwise stated, because 2010 provides the most recent, reliable, comparable and complete data. All dollar amounts are in US dollars, converted using a 2010 exchange rate.
NEW ZEALAND RESEARCH ASSESSMENT FUNDING BY UNIVERSITY
The Performance-Based Research Fund defines research as: $6M
The majority of New Zealand’s higher education funding is allocated by the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF), which spent a total of $168 million on tertiary education organizations in 2010.
“Original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and understanding and, in the case of some disciplines, cultural innovation or aesthetic refinement.”
Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland $56M
Auckland
University of Waikato
$12M
THE GREAT DIVIDE
Lincoln University
Wellington
$7M
Christchurch
$18M
Population:
4.4M
University of Otago $41M
The system used by the PBRF to allocate funds to universities4.
Massey University $27M
100%
University of Canterbury $21M
Victoria University of Wellington
Dunedin
Funding for each university allocated by the PBRF4.
60%
Quality evaluation
25%
Research degree completions
15%
External research income
*The system used to allocate funds by Excellence in Research for Australia is more complicated and relies on a more peer-review structure than New Zealand’s system.
PRINTED MATERIAL
MONEY MATTERS
Any published articles* that include at least one author from Australia or New Zealand5.
Almost 90% of all funding for higher-education research and development (HERD) in New Zealand is provided by the government and universities6.
Number of published articles
8,000
Overseas $19M Business $32M
6,000
Australia
4,000
Experimental development $100M
$0.6B
Government (inc. PBRF)
$399M
Applied research $219M
Sources of funding
2,000
0 2000
Other $21M
Universities
New Zealand 2002
2004
2006
Year
2008
$0.6B
Basic research $298M
HERD expenditure
(inc. student fees)
$147M
2010
*Journals, conference proceedings, book series, books or trade publications.
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESEARCH FUND: TIMELINE Before 2000, funding was provided to tertiary education organizations based on the number of researchers. Now funding is dependent upon individual performance reviews7. 1990 Education Act establishes the Tertiary Education Commission.
Funding now based on number of equivalent full-time students, weighted by course costs.
1995
2000
White Paper to assure research quality and accountability. Tertiary Education Advisory Commission (TEAC) established to provide advice on strategic direction.
2005 First PerformanceBased Research Fund (PBRF) assessment.
TEAC introduces the PBRF.
2010 PBRF reviewed. All funding now allocated through the PBRF.
2015 Full PBRF assessment.
Next PBRF assessment is in 2018.
4. Performance-Based Research Fund Annual Report 2010 (Tertiary Education Commission), available at go.nature.com/s5t6p7; 5. Scopus; 6. Research and Development in New Zealand 2010 (Statistics New Zealand), available at go.nature.com/c7bbp5; 7. A History and Overview of the PRBF (New Zealand Ministry of Education), available at go.nature.com/vwXjbu.
. d e v r e s e R s t h g i R l l A . d e t i m i L s r e h s i l b u P n a l l i m c a M 4 1 0 2 ©
2 4 J U LY 2 0 1 4 | V O L 5 1 1 | N AT U R E | S 5 3
FUNDING BY NUMBERS
Australia and New Zealand both rely on assessment schemes to improve research quality, yet the money associated with each is very different. By Julie Gould. The Excellence in Research for Australia defines research as:
Australia’s budget for higher-education research and development is an order of magnitude larger than that of New Zealand, yet the amount of money determined by Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) is significantly smaller.
Cairns
$1.3M Northern Territory 2 universities
Western Australia 5 universities
$8.5M
Funding for universities as determined by ERA assessment1.
AUSTRALIA RESEARCH ASSESSMENT FUNDING BY STATE
Darwin
“The creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and understanding.”
Townsville
Queensland 8 universities
South Australia 3 universities
Brisbane
$7.7M New South Wales 10 universities $28.6M
Perth
$0.3M
Other (Australian Catholic University, across 4 states)
$14.2M
Adelaide
$6.9M
Victoria 9 universities $24.1M Hobart
SCHOLARLY SPENDING New Zealand continues to increase gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD), but Australia is starting to pull back2.
(state, local, federal and competitive grants, inc. ERA)
$4.2B
Experimental development $0.7M
Donations $0.2B
$9.1B
Percentage of GDP spent on GERD
The Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment comprises only 0.08% of all government funding for higher-education research and development (HERD)1.
Government
22M
Melbourne
MONEY MATTERS
Business $0.4B
Population:
Sydney Canberra
Tasmania 1 university $2.3M
Overseas $0.2B
Australian Capital Territory 2 universities
Strategic basic research General University funds
(new knowledge in specific areas)
$1.8B
(e.g. student fees)
$5.1B
Sources of funding
Pure basic research
$9.1B
Applied research $4.2B
HERD expenditure
(new knowledge with no agenda)
$2.3B
2.5
Australia 2.0
1.5
1.0 2000
New Zealand*
2002
2004
2006
Year
2008
2010
*Data for Australia are produced on even years; data for New Zealand are produced on odd years.
EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA: TIMELINE Policy-makers and government officials have changed funding allocations from formula favouring quantity to assessment criteria favouring quality3. 1990 Australian Research Council established. Introduction of Unified National System, which was a framework to reorganize and improve higher education in Australia.
1995
2000
Research block funding became formula based, measuring number of papers published.
2005 Minister for Education, Brendan Nelson, calls for new Research Quality Framework (RQF).
2010 ERA pilot study.
2015 ERA 2012 report.
Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) announced.
Next ERA evaluation.
RQF abandoned.
References: 1. Research and Experimental Development, Higher Education Organisations (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010), available at go.nature.com/1obhsa; 2. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics; 3. Kwok, J. T. Impact of ERA Research Assessment on University Behaviour and their Staff (NTEU National Policy and Research Unit, 2013) available at go.nature.com/c2ypxa;
. d e v r e s e R s t h g i R l l A . d e t i m i L s r e h s i l b u P n a l l i m c a M 4 1 0 2 ©
S 5 2 | N AT U R E | V O L 5 1 1 | 2 4 J U LY 2 0 1 4 | C O R R E C T E D O N 2 5 J U LY 2 0 1 4
ASSESSING SCIENCE OUTLOOK
2010
All data are from 2010 unless otherwise stated, because 2010 provides the most recent, reliable, comparable and complete data. All dollar amounts are in US dollars, converted using a 2010 exchange rate.
NEW ZEALAND RESEARCH ASSESSMENT FUNDING BY UNIVERSITY
The Performance-Based Research Fund defines research as: $6M
The majority of New Zealand’s higher education funding is allocated by the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF), which spent a total of $168 million on tertiary education organizations in 2010.
“Original investigation undertaken in order to contribute to knowledge and understanding and, in the case of some disciplines, cultural innovation or aesthetic refinement.”
Auckland University of Technology
University of Auckland $56M
Auckland
University of Waikato
$12M
THE GREAT DIVIDE
Lincoln University
Wellington
$7M
Christchurch
$18M
Population:
4.4M
University of Otago $41M
The system used by the PBRF to allocate funds to universities4.
Massey University $27M
100%
University of Canterbury $21M
Victoria University of Wellington
Dunedin
Funding for each university allocated by the PBRF4.
60%
Quality evaluation
25%
Research degree completions
15%
External research income
*The system used to allocate funds by Excellence in Research for Australia is more complicated and relies on a more peer-review structure than New Zealand’s system.
PRINTED MATERIAL
MONEY MATTERS
Any published articles* that include at least one author from Australia or New Zealand5.
Almost 90% of all funding for higher-education research and development (HERD) in New Zealand is provided by the government and universities6.
Number of published articles
8,000
Overseas $19M Business $32M
6,000
Australia
4,000
Experimental development $100M
$0.6B
Government (inc. PBRF)
$399M
Applied research $219M
Sources of funding
2,000
0 2000
Other $21M
Universities
New Zealand 2002
2004
2006
Year
2008
$0.6B
Basic research $298M
HERD expenditure
(inc. student fees)
$147M
2010
*Journals, conference proceedings, book series, books or trade publications.
PERFORMANCE-BASED RESEARCH FUND: TIMELINE Before 2000, funding was provided to tertiary education organizations based on the number of researchers. Now funding is dependent upon individual performance reviews7. 1990 Education Act establishes the Tertiary Education Commission.
Funding now based on number of equivalent full-time students, weighted by course costs.
1995
2000
White Paper to assure research quality and accountability. Tertiary Education Advisory Commission (TEAC) established to provide advice on strategic direction.
2005 First PerformanceBased Research Fund (PBRF) assessment.
TEAC introduces the PBRF.
2010 PBRF reviewed. All funding now allocated through the PBRF.
2015 Full PBRF assessment.
Next PBRF assessment is in 2018.
4. Performance-Based Research Fund Annual Report 2010 (Tertiary Education Commission), available at go.nature.com/s5t6p7; 5. Scopus; 6. Research and Development in New Zealand 2010 (Statistics New Zealand), available at go.nature.com/c7bbp5; 7. A History and Overview of the PRBF (New Zealand Ministry of Education), available at go.nature.com/vwXjbu.
. d e v r e s e R s t h g i R l l A . d e t i m i L s r e h s i l b u P n a l l i m c a M 4 1 0 2 ©
2 4 J U LY 2 0 1 4 | V O L 5 1 1 | N AT U R E | S 5 3
