Australian universities are required to undertake research, and offer Masters and Doctoral research degrees, in at least three broad fields, as a condition of registration

The Australian Government emphasises the importance of university research performance through assessments of quality and engagement and impact. A wide range of international rankings based largely on research performance, such as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings, also confer academic prestige on highly ranked institutions.

Research performance is also often a basis for academic hiring and promotion, acting as an incentive (beyond inherent motivation) for individual researchers to maintain research activity.

This quick guide explains how Australian universities resource research activities. Based on key Australian Government data, it sets out the major sources and distribution of university research funding.