Industry be obliged to occupation improved with universities - Preacher

Australia ranks "very, very bad", the commercialization of research and must rise to Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister of Education and Training, in a speech to the Australian Research Council.

He said that all the rankings, especially the comparison with other OECD countries, show Australia are "among the best in the world for the quality of research results."

"But it will be critical over the next little to lift Australia's results in terms of cooperation with the industry and in terms of the commercialization of research. Since we rank very, very bad when it comes to cooperation between universities and industry in terms of research entrepreneurs," he said.

"We must ensure that our industry and our company accepted the opportunity to work with our universities and our research institutes and scientists of our high quality and cooperate, work innovatively, and to ensure that, where possible, great ideas, great deep career in ultimately translated into outcomes that make a real difference. "

He spoke in Adelaide as he announced the allocation of $ 357.7 million (US $ 256 million) of funds for 899 projects under the Australian Research Council main financial support notifications.

It includes 635 Discovery projects where funds will begin in 2016, and for which some $ 245 million and stands. The second included 54 ties, infrastructure, equipment and facilities, financing, providing projects worth some 38 million A $. There were 200 Discovery Early Career Investigator Award to the financing of some 70.7 million A $ 10 Discovery and Indigenous programs provide funding of some 4.1 million A $.

The Minister said: "Strong investments in high quality research to innovation, provide jobs of the future, to improve the health of our communities, protect our environment and ensure our researchers can compete in the international arena."

There were more than 5,000 applications for awards compared with 899 who were successful, having considered some 6,300 assessors.

The announcement came as the latest Deloitte Access Economics report suggested that national productivity generates happiness of university research has delivered economic benefits to Australia worth a third of the growth in average living standards in the past 30 years.

Gains in productivity - worth an estimated $ 10 billion each year over the last three decades - illustrate the key role of university research achievements in the transformation and modernization of the Australian economy, according to a report entitled The importance of universities to Australia's prosperity and launched on the 28th October.

$ 10 billion boost productivity, in addition to A $ 25 billion that universities contribute to the Australian economy - directly and indirectly - and the A $ 12 billion of international education annually.

Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson said the report was conclusive results are another proof of the vital role of Australian universities play in driving economic growth and warned that to realize the enormous potential of the universities in the country, the country must ensure that properly investing in education and research.

"Over the next decade, it will be the skills and smarts of our people will be at the center of power of the Australian economy," Robinson said.

"At the same time, university research and innovation will continue to be an essential driver of technological progress - particularly as we transition to the new knowledge economy.

"Already, millions of people around the world rely on discoveries in Australian universities - think Bionic ear or a vaccine against cervical cancer. We believe this is just the beginning."

Examples of some of the projects financed last week's announcement are:

• The $ 650.187 researchers at La Trobe University to evaluate how the historical gold mining shaped the river systems, which could lead to improved management of the basin and reservoir.
• $ 250,000 to researchers at the University of Adelaide to establish an advanced DNA identification and forensic facility that will deliver results, such as improved pest and threatened species identification, as well as missing persons and disaster victims identification.
• The $ 572,000 to researchers at the Australian Catholic University to identify the characteristics of schools that assist indigenous students to achieve their potential.
• The $ 1 million to researchers at Curtin University of Technology to build the second phase of the Murchison Wakefield Array in Western Australia, which will double the number of antennas in a row and the maximum length of the base and improve the ability to observe the universe.

In Adelaide, Senator Birmingham, said it was important for Australia to maintain and build on its reputation for research. He stressed that the emphasis prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has put the Australian "ability to be agile, to be flexible in order to respond to the changes we see in the world around us."