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Defence CRCs part of government’s $29.9 billion security push Scientists and policymakers gathered at the 18th Science meets Parliament to discuss one of the biggest changes to CRCs yet, reports Heather Catchpole.
Defence technologies from autonomous systems to cybertechnology and quantum computing will benefit from the $29.9 billion defence funding boost announced by the government in March. Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Alex Zelinsky, spoke at Science meets Parliament (SmP) soon after the announcement of the $730 million Next Generation Technologies Fund. The fund has evolved from the Defence White Paper committing to additional defence funding and will focus on new R&D partnerships and the creation of new technologies. The fund is administered by Defence Science Technologies Group (DST).
“This is one of the areas you don’t want disrupted. If you have unmanned systems you need them to do what Defence wants them to do. That’s not the story with drones today.” Part of the money will go to Defence Cooperative Research Centres (DCRCs), which represent an “important opportunity”, said CRC Association CEO Tony Peacock. The first cab off the rank is the Trusted Autonomous Systems CRC bid, which plays to Australia’s strengths in this area, says Zelinksy. “This is one of the areas you don’t want disrupted,” says Zelinksy. “If you have unmanned systems you need them to do what Defence wants them to do. That’s not the story with drones today.”
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The government will be inviting formal applications for DCRCs in 2017. Zelinksy, who will also speak at Collaborate | Innovate | 2017, says science funding must be bipartisan and in the national interest, and CRCs are a proven collaboration program. “Defence and security have complete bipartisan support, we often brief the Opposition with what we are doing. You want to make sure that they support a 50-year program. When it is contested, it is very hard for science to cut through and bring people to the table.” DST is a sponsor of Science meets Parliament and Zelinsky, who has attended for many years, says the event is a unique opportunity to represent science but also find out what drives our national interests. “I can’t think of other professional groupings that come this way to interact with Parliament. “In Canberra we’re quite used to people coming to ask for things – but it’s important to do so with something that is in the national interest. Policy is made by government. Science through its evidence informs policymaking. You have to realise that elective government sets the policy.” The 18th Science meets Parliament, convened in March this year, brought together 200 researchers for a day of professional development before a series of parliamentary meetings and informal networking.
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