Anyone observing the world in which they live can see how the outputs of research improve our life, work and environment. Some people believe that if governments invest specifically in research designed to produce immediately useful outcomes, it could ensure an even higher return on government investment.

Universities around the world are coming under greater pressure to increase their productivity, often because of reduced funding in the context of increasing student demand. At the same time, many governments are looking to universities to produce short-term practical outcomes, commercialise their intellectual property, and chase funding, no matter what the implications of winning it.

This paper examines time series data on Commonwealth Government funding for universities from 1996 to 2010. It draws on annual and triennial higher education funding reports released by DIISRTE’s predecessors, research income data, Science, Research and Innovation Budget Tables and annual Higher Education Finance Statistics. The paper examines recurrent grants, research funding and capital funding...

Current Year 12 students form the largest single group of Australian university admissions, comprising approximately half of all admissions at Australian universities. For those Year 12 students who continue to tertiary study at Australian universities, the courses studied in Year 12 play an important role in preparing them for that further education. Information regarding Year...

Underfunding, and caps on prices, mean universities will have limited incentives to offer enough places in the fields students want. The Bradley Review’s recommendation of a demand-driven system of funding university places was made without explicit reference to labour market demand for particular skills and qualifications. It has been implemented without much regard for student...