“AUKUS is a seismic industrial undertaking that cannot be completed without the skilled workers and research our unis produce,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy said.

“Most of the 20,000 jobs AUKUS will create will require a university qualification, not to mention the extensive research work needed to guide the project long before construction starts.

“To support this effort, we need greater collaboration between partner nations to upskill Australians and to foster and support the contribution of universities to AUKUS.

“That’s what today’s roundtable is about – bringing together officials from the Department of Defence, the US Department of State and the British High Commission to build on our previous discussions with partner governments to drive deeper engagement between our nations.

“Government support for our role in supporting AUKUS is needed, and we have previously welcomed the allocation of an additional 20,000 places to support workforce development.

“Support for our research endeavours is equally important. Government investment in R&D remains too low and is jeopardising our ability to perform the work our nation relies on unis for.

“The Universities Accord final report outlines ways to strengthen and grow Australia’s research efforts and we encourage the government to act quickly on these recommendations to ensure our universities are fully supported to continue playing their role in the delivery of national priorities.”