“The announcement by the Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane and Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne underlines the critical role of science and research in solving national challenges and improving the productivity and prosperity of Australia,” said Anne-Marie Lansdown, Deputy Chief Executive of Universities Australia.

“Research is vital to all aspects of ensuring Australia’s future, as is evidenced by the breadth and diversity of the priorities announced yesterday.”

The nine cross-disciplinary priorities are food, soil and water, transport, cybersecurity, energy, resources, advanced manufacturing, environmental change and health.

“Australia’s universities are undertaking research every day that improves people’s lives, from developing ground-breaking new medical treatments, to creating innovative technologies that transform how we work,” Ms Lansdown said.

“Universities Australia hopes that the priorities will lead to increased public investment in science and research, with targeted funding to address these critical areas.

“The Australian Government’s commitment to continue providing a broad base of support for research is welcomed by the sector. We must ensure Australia continues to have internationally competitive research capability across all disciplines if we are to be at the forefront of knowledge generation and innovation.

“The university sector looks forward to working with the Australian Government, the Commonwealth Science Council and the National Science, Technology and Research Committee to further clarify the process for implementation during this transition period until 1 July 2016,” Ms Lansdown said.

Further information: http://science.gov.au/scienceGov/ScienceAndResearchPriorities/Pages/default.aspx