Pursuit of Excellence 2012 Review of Government Funding to the Learned Academies © Commonwealth of Australia 2012 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Commonwealth Copyright Administration, Attorney General’s Department, Robert Garran Offices, National Circuit, Canberra ACT 2600 or posted at www.ag.gov.au/cca. Table of Contents Abbreviations ......................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 6 Summary of recommendations ............................................................................................. 8 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9 Australia’s Learned Academies ........................................................................................ 9 Higher Education Research Promotion ............................................................................ 9 Regular reviews .............................................................................................................. 11 Recent developments ..................................................................................................... 11 The current review .......................................................................................................... 12 Review panel .............................................................................................................. 12 Learned Academies Reference Group ....................................................................... 12 Terms of Reference .................................................................................................... 13 Consultations and submissions .................................................................................. 13 Snapshot of the Learned Academies and ACOLA ......................................................... 14 Australian Academy of the Humanities ........................................................................... 14 Australian Academy of Science ...................................................................................... 15 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.................................. 16 Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia .................................................................. 17 Australian Council of Learned Academies ...................................................................... 18 Assessment ....................................................................................................................... 20 Appropriateness .............................................................................................................. 20 Effectiveness ................................................................................................................... 23 Key Achievements ...................................................................................................... 23 Supplementation ......................................................................................................... 31 Value for money.......................................................................................................... 32 Summary .................................................................................................................... 35 Efficiency ......................................................................................................................... 35 Integration ....................................................................................................................... 36 Indigenous Post-Graduate Summer School and Mentoring program ........................ 37 International Science Linkages................................................................................... 38 Other government programs ...................................................................................... 42 Summary .................................................................................................................... 42 Performance assessment ............................................................................................... 42 Strategic policy alignment ............................................................................................... 43 Findings and Recommendations ..................................................................................... 47 Enhancing the strategic role ........................................................................................... 47 Encouraging researchers in all fields .............................................................................. 49 Working together ............................................................................................................. 49 Appendices ............................................................................................................................ 51 A - Expenditure Review Principles ...................................................................................... 51 B - Review Panel Members ................................................................................................. 52 C - Reference Group Members ........................................................................................... 53 D - Terms of Reference ....................................................................................................... 53 E - International Science Linkages ...................................................................................... 54 F - Consultations ................................................................................................................. 55 G - Main elements of the Learned Academies and ACOLA’s strategic plans .................... 56 Abbreviations AAO - Administrative Arrangements Order AASSREC - Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils AAH - Australian Academy of the Humanities AAS - Australian Academy of Science ANAO - Australian National Audit Office ATSE - Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering ABS - Australian Bureau of Statistics ACARA - Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority ACCSP - Australian Climate Change Science Program ACOLA - Australian Council of Learned Academies ARC - Australian Research Council ASSA - Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia CAETS - International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences CASS - Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences CEO - Chief Executive Officer COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology DCCEE - Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency DEST - Department of Education, Science and Training DEEWR - Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations DFD - Department of Finance and Deregulation DFAT - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade DIISR - Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research DIISRTE - Department of Innovation, Industry, Science, Research and Tertiary Education ERA - Excellence in Research for Australia FASTS - Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies HASS - Humanities, arts and social sciences HE - Higher Education HERP - Higher Education Research Promotion HESA - Higher Education Support Act 2003 HESA-HERP - Higher Education Support Act 2003 - Higher Education Research Promotion HTF - Humanities Travelling Fellowships Scheme IGBP - International Geosphere-Biosphere Program ICSU - International Council for Science ISL - International Science Linkages program ISL-HCA - International Science Linkages - Humanities and Creative Arts program JSTCC - Australia-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee LASP - Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects fund Learned Academies - AAH, AAS, ATSE, ASSA MOU - Memorandum of Understanding NAF - National Academies Forum (now ACOLA) NC - National Committees PBS - Portfolio Budget Statements PC - Primary Connections PMSEIC - Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council RQF - Research Quality Framework RWS - Research Workforce Strategy S&T - Science and technology SCOPE - Science Connections Program SCOR - Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research SET - Science, Engineering and Technology SFA - Supplementary funding agreement STELR - Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics WCRP - World Climate Research Program Executive Summary The Learned Academies are important national assets which provide a unique and valuable contribution to the pursuit of excellence in Australia’s innovation system and in the provision of advice to government on issues of national and international significance. They play a distinctive role in promoting and fostering research and scholarship in all disciplines, enabling innovation. While each academy is different in scale (in level of funding and in the disciplines it represents), nonetheless they share many common goals, including representing their disciplines; recognising the preeminent scholars in their fields through the election of Fellows; contributing to the broader policy debate; exploring issues of national and international importance and collaborating internationally within their disciplines. The Learned Academies and Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) are provided with Australian Government funding to support activities to foster understanding of the importance of, or promote research and scholarship in, science, technology, social science and/or humanities in Australia. This review of Australian Government funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA under Higher Education Support Act 2003 – Higher Education Research Promotion (HESA HERP) and Learned Academies – Supplementation covers the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010. Funding to the Learned Academies is regularly reviewed, the last review being held in 2005. The scope of these reviews has varied over the years. In 2005, the review scope was wider than the current review and looked at the role and effectiveness of the Learned Academies and National Academies Forum (now ACOLA). The 2005 Review recommended major strengthening of the role and activities of the Learned Academies and led to a substantial increase in funding, through Learned Academies - Supplementation, for their core operations. This review, the 2012 review, is a standard evaluation of an ongoing government program. It is not a review of the performance of either the Learned Academies or ACOLA. The current 2012 review has assessed expenditure of HESA-HERP and Learned Academies - Supplementation against the Department of Finance and Deregulation’s expenditure review principles and finds in summary: Appropriateness — the Learned Academies have provided improved access to information due to the knowledge, research and scholarship of their members. It was therefore appropriate to use public funds to support them as they provided an important national public good as well as contributing to the achievement of social inclusion objectives. The national innovation system is underpinned by Australia’s capacity to undertake high quality research that addresses national challenges and opens up new opportunities. The Learned Academies bridge all disciplines and play a critical role in fostering excellence in research and in contributing to public policy debates on issues of national importance. Effectiveness — the objective of the Higher Education Research Promotion (HERP) and Supplementation funding is to foster understanding of the importance of, or promote research and scholarship in, any discipline. The Learned Academies have effectively met this objective through both their domestic and international activities, including through hosting fora, providing advice to government reviews, supporting researchers and publishing major expert reports on a wide range of issues. Specific advantages of the Learned Academy include low overheads, the voluntary nature of the work provided by Fellows, the breadth of skills and expertise, and the alignment of the Learned Academies to the national policy and the science research and innovation system. Moreover, as the Learned Academies have the capacity to tap into the breadth of skills and expertise of Fellows and to marshal contributions (including voluntary contributions) from their networks of researchers, other stakeholders and international connections, the grants they receive can leverage significant resources that help deliver the government’s policy objectives. Efficiency — the Learned Academies vary in terms of their size, their level of funding, their structure and their administrative arrangements. The review found that the Learned Academies and ACOLA had used the increased HERP support and Supplementation funding, flowing from the 2005 review, to boost the capacity of their organisations to contribute independent, expert, evidence-based advice to inform policy debates and deliver international activities. The increased funding has not acted as a disincentive for the Learned Academies to engage with the government through other programs. The Learned Academies continue to receive income from a range of government and non-government sources and are highly effective in leveraging the HERP funding. Integration — HERP funding provides certainty which underpins the Learned Academies’ core functions and enables them to seek project specific funding from other sources to pursue strategic objectives. HERP funding acts as an enabler for the Learned Academies to successfully apply for funding from other government programs to deliver additional activities that complement the overall HERP objectives and government priorities. Performance assessment — The Learned Academies met all reporting and compliance requirements for HERP funding, the review noted however that the conditions of grant under HESA HERP do not currently include specific performance measures, nor do they specify the format or direct content for annual reporting. As a result there is considerable variation in the style and content of the Learned Academies’ annual reports. To be consistent with better practice grant administration, there is merit in the government working with the Learned Academies and ACOLA to develop a consistent annual reporting process to assist in performance assessment and accountability purposes. Strategic policy alignment — the Learned Academies and ACOLA play a unique and critical role in promoting and fostering excellence in research which underpins the national innovation system. The Learned Academies are also uniquely placed to continue to provide independent, evidence-based advice to government and thereby contribute to a broad range of the government’s strategic longer term policy priorities. Summary of recommendations In the context of HESA-HERP and Learned Academies - Supplementation, the review panel made the following recommendations regarding key issues for the Learned Academies, ACOLA and the government to take forward: 1. The government continue to provide ongoing support to the Learned Academies and ACOLA to enable them to foster understanding of the importance of, and/or promote research and scholarship in, science, social science or the humanities in Australia for the national benefit. 2. The government consider options to enhance the strategic role of the Learned Academies and ACOLA in providing the Australian Government with independent, evidence-based advice on issues of national importance. 3. The Learned Academies and ACOLA meet individually with senior officials (at least twice a year) to exchange views on strategic priorities and emerging issues of national importance. 4. The Learned Academies maintain their strong connections with stakeholders, including the public sector, industry, non government organisations and international organisations. 5. The Learned Academies continue to make efforts to communicate their capabilities and activities which advise the community of the issues on which they can provide independent advice. 6. Within available resources, the Learned Academies maximise their domestic and international activities to enhance collaboration opportunities within and across disciplines. 7. The Learned Academies continue to encourage the promotion of early and mid career researchers, including in new and emerging fields; and continue to engage with researchers in under represented disciplines or groups, including women and Indigenous researchers. 8. The Learned Academies should share experiences to continually improve their practices and procedures. 9. The government work with the Learned Academies and ACOLA to streamline reporting requirements, including consideration of relevant performance indicators. 10. Government support for ACOLA should continue to focus on managing and maintaining appropriate inter- and extra-academy communication linkages and encourage collaboration between the Learned Academies. Introduction Australia’s Learned Academies Australia’s four Learned Academies (the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Australian Academy of Science, the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering) are dedicated to promoting and enhancing the contribution of the humanities, the social and natural sciences and engineering to the community through a range of activities, such as contributing to policy debates, awareness raising and education, establishing and maintaining relations with their counterparts overseas and the pursuit of excellence. The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) is the forum through which the four Learned Academies work cooperatively and harness expert knowledge from multiple disciplinary perspectives in support of national objectives. The Learned Academies provide the Australian community and the Australian Government with a valuable source of expert advice on key national issues, and are important partners in the development and implementation of research and innovation policy. Higher Education Research Promotion The Australian Government provides funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA through the Higher Education Research Promotion (HERP) under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA). During the review period, the Learned Academies and ACOLA also received additional funding through the Learned Academies – Supplementation. This allowed them to undertake activities consistent with HERP objectives. The Supplementation funding has been provided to the Learned Academies since 2008 and is due to end in 2012. The objective of HERP is to foster understanding of the importance of and/or promote research and scholarship in, science, social science or the humanities in Australia. In addition to this overarching objective, the four Learned Academies also have specific objectives under HERP to: provide secretariat and other administrative support to enable the Learned Academies and their Fellows to contribute advice and assistance on issues of national importance conduct workshops, fora, symposia and similar events so that the Learned Academies and their Fellows can engage on issues of national importance manage the development and conduct of policy, education and other programs support relationships with international communities including exchange programs and joint research programs. The specific objectives under HERP for ACOLA are to: support cooperation between the four Learned Academies provide a common point of access to the Learned Academies for outside organisations and individuals promote a unified national vision, helping to enhance interactions between Learned Academies without compromising their individual priorities or activities. The HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding are administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIISRTE). They were previously administered by the former Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) between 2007 and 2011 and the former Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) up to 2007. During the review period, the Learned Academies also received Australian Government funding under the International Science Linkages (ISL) program. While this review is not an evaluation of the ISL program, the scope included identification of the contribution to Australian Government objectives of activities funded under ISL during the review period. The total calendar year funding under each of these programs is summarised in Table 1. The disaggregated figures for each academy are provided in Table 2 (HESA-HERP and Supplementation) and Table 3 (ISL). Over the review period, 2006 to 2010, funding to the Learned Academies increased by $2.8 million (110%) in total. This increase is mainly due to the introduction of Supplementation funding, in 2008. The level of ISL funding fell every second year – 2007, 2009 and 2011. Table 1 HESA-HERP, Supplementation and ISL funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA, calendar year, $ million. Programs 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 HESA-Grant in Aid (a) 1.98 2.02 3.06 – – – HESA-HERP (b) – – – 3.10 3.15 3.19 Supplementation (c)(d) – – 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 ISL 2.71 0.83 2.24 1.69 4.44 0.93 TOTAL 4.70 2.86 6.30 5.80 8.60 5.12 Notes for Table 1: a) Grant in Aid data between 2006 and 2008 were sourced from DEEWR and DIISRTE records. b) Grant in Aid funding was renamed HESA-HERP funding in the Other Grant Guidelines (Research) 2009. c) Supplementation funding was announced in 2007-08 budget, following recommendations of the 2005 Review of the Learned Academies. d) In 2008, the Commonwealth signed a single year supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and the National Academies Forum (NAF) to supplement funds received through HESA Grant in Aid. In 2009, the Commonwealth signed a single year supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and NAF to supplement funds received through HESA-HERP. In 2010 the Commonwealth signed a three-year supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and NAF to supplement funds received through HESAHERP. Source: DIISRTE 2012, Portfolio Budget Statements. Regular reviews The Australian Government is committed to transparency, accountability and good practice in grant administration. The use of conditional grants has increased over recent years as a mechanism for transferring funding to external parties for the purpose of achieving particular Australian Government policy objectives. In 2008, the Australian Government undertook a review of its processes and practices of providing grants and accepted the recommendation that a whole-of-government, principlesbased policy framework for the administration of grant programs be established under the Financial Management and Accountability Regulations 1997, which are made under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997. Under this framework, a set of expenditure review principles (see Appendix A) are used to evaluate all government programs or activities. When assessing programs or activities against the principles, evidence is used to demonstrate whether or not the grant was the most appropriate, efficient and effective way to achieve the government’s outcomes and objectives. Australian Government funding of the Learned Academies has been reviewed approximately five-yearly. The most recent major review was undertaken in 2005 and its recommendations were addressed through the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Budgets. The period covered by the 2012 review is between 2006 and 2010. The scope of the 2005 review was wider than this current review. The 2005 review was undertaken by an external expert committee and looked at the role and effectiveness of the Learned Academies and the National Academies Forum (NAF) (now ACOLA) and the overall level of funding necessary to support core public good activities. The 2012 review is a standard evaluation of an ongoing government program. Recent developments The policy environment in which the Learned Academies operate has changed significantly since the last review in 2005. Following the change of government in 2007, research and its role underpinning the national innovation system has become more prominent. The Australian Government conducted a review of the national innovation system in 2008 and created a new department that aligned innovation, industry, science and research. The government recognised the need for a long term strategy to encourage innovation in Australia and released Powering Ideas in 2009. This ten-year reform agenda is designed to enhance Australia’s productivity and competitiveness. The government has also changed the position of the Chief Scientist of Australia from parttime to a full-time role and, in 2012, restructured Australia’s peak science advisory body, the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC). The new PMSEIC will have a more dynamic and contemporary focus while consideration of long-term issues, requiring a scientific response will be referred to the Learned Academies. On behalf of the Learned Academies, this process will be managed via ACOLA and then reported to government through the Chief Scientist. In April 2012, in recognition that to remain competitive, Australian research must underpin industry and innovation and drive adaptation, a three year $10 million funding grant was provided to Australia’s four Learned Academies to undertake new research projects, under the direction of PMSEIC and the Chief Scientist. ACOLA will engage Australia’s top scientists and researchers to work with the Chief Scientist and the Australian Research Council (ARC) to address the complex and diverse challenges in shaping the Australian economy and society for the future. This opportunity for the Learned Academies to work through ACOLA to undertake longer term research for PMSEIC complements and builds on one of the key objectives of HESA-HERP, to provide the government with advice on issues of national importance. It also demonstrates the value of the government’s ongoing investment in the academies and ACOLA under HESA-HERP. The current review The current review covers the period 2006-10 and was carried out during 2011 and the first half of 2012 in accordance with the Terms of Reference at Appendix D. Review panel The Learned Academies and ACOLA receive funding from a range of Australian Government programs besides HESA-HERP. To reflect the diversity of government funding, the review panel comprised representatives from several Australia government agencies that have provided the Learned Academies and ACOLA with funding during the review period, 2006 to 2010, including the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and DIISRTE. The panel chair (being the Manager, Evaluations and Strategic Planning, Corporate Division, DIISRTE) is a specialist in evaluations and is independent of any funding decisions for the program under review. The chair and panel members from the ARC and DEEWR were appointed for the length of the review. The DIISRTE panel members from the HESA HERP and International Sciences Linkages (ISL) program areas were appointed on an ex-officio basis. The members of the review panel are listed at Appendix B. Learned Academies Reference Group The panel was assisted by an independent Reference Group comprising four eminent scholars with relevant expertise. The reference group provided advice on key aspects of the review including comments on the draft terms of reference, consultation process and review report. The panel acknowledges the invaluable contribution of the reference group in undertaking this review. The members of the reference group are listed at Appendix C. Terms of Reference Under the terms of reference (see Appendix D), the review of Australian Government funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA under HESA-HERP and Learned Academies – Supplementation covered the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010 and: 1. assessed the effectiveness of the use of HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding by the Academies and ACOLA in supporting activities to foster understanding of the importance of, or promoting research and scholarship in, science, technology, social science or humanities in Australia 2. examined the effectiveness of implementation of the recommendations of the 2005 review of the Learned Academies 3. examined whether HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding had assisted the academies and ACOLA to participate in other Australian Government programs 4. identified the contribution to Australian Government objectives of activities funded under Learned Academies Supplementation and the ISL programs (See Appendix E for further information on ISL), and 5. assessed whether government funding provided to the Academies and ACOLA through the HESA-HERP and Learned Academies Supplementation funding was being used in accordance with the Department of Finance and Deregulation Expenditure Review Principles (i.e. appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, integration, performance assessment and strategic policy alignment). Consultations and submissions The review panel invited submissions from and interviewed the Learned Academies. The panel also invited submissions from their key stakeholders and then interviewed a representative sample, including senior officials from both Australian and state government agencies or organisations, non-government organisations, and international organisations. The organisations that submitted questionnaires and/or were interviewed during the review are listed at Appendix F. Snapshot of the Learned Academies and ACOLA Australian Academy of the Humanities The Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) was established by Royal Charter in 1969 as an independent, not-for-profit organisation. As at 31 December 2010, the academy consisted of 529 Fellows who were elected by their peers in recognition of their distinguished and sustained academic achievement in the various disciplines that constitute the humanities, including: Asian Studies, Archaeology, Classical Studies, Communication and Cultural Studies, English, European Languages and Cultures, History, Linguistics, Philosophy, Religion and the History of Ideas, and the Arts. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, the academy seeks to fulfil several key roles including as: a Fellowship of scholars who serve their disciplines and the nation by promoting the contribution of the humanities for the public good a learned society which promotes the diverse range of disciplines which constitute the humanities an advocacy and advisory organisation which provides authoritative and independent advice to governments, industry, the media and the public on matters concerning the humanities a grant making body which supports excellent scholarship in the humanities a national focal point to promote the value of the humanities and to support and sustain the next generation of humanities researchers and teachers. The academy is governed by an elected council which provides strategic direction, policy guidance and management oversight. The council consists of the President and two VicePresidents, the International Secretary, Honorary Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Immediate Past President and four other members. There are four annual meetings of the Council and the last meeting of the year coincides with the academy’s annual symposium and annual general meeting. The academy is also provided with advice from several committees which are comprised of members with expertise in the humanities and in higher education and drawn from both within and outside the Fellowship. The Policy Committee supports the development of academy policy and develops content for submissions to government; the Language Studies Committee provides advice for the academy’s policy agenda in support of the development of Australia’s language capability; and the Awards Committee oversees the Academy’s grants and awards program. The academy is supported by a secretariat comprising 4.95 FTE, of which 4.25 is funded through HESA-HERP. The secretariat structure consists of an Executive Director, Policy and Projects Manager, Office Manager, Fellowship Officer and Program Manager. The academy is a member of the Union Académique Internationale (UAI) (International Union of Academies), an international federation of Learned Academies. The UAI promotes collective research work and supports numerous projects of a collaborative nature in a wide range of academic disciplines. This support is provided through collaboration with member academies and UNESCO, several involving Australian researchers. The Academy's membership of the UAI dates from 1961. Academy activities are directed by a strategic plan, the current version of which covers the period 2011-2015. Appendix G contains a summary of the academy’s strategic plan. Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) was founded in 1954 by Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London with physicist Sir Mark Oliphant serving as founding President. It was granted a Royal Charter which established the academy as an independent body but with government endorsement. Fellows are elected through a rigorous peer reviewed process and numbered 427 in December 2010. The academy’s mission is to champion Australian scientific excellence, to promote and disseminate scientific knowledge, and to provide independent scientific advice for the benefit of Australia and the world. The key objectives of the academy are to: promote excellence in scientific research nationally and internationally develop and sustain a national scientific culture provide valued independent scientific advice to assist policy development and program delivery. The academy promotes science through a range of activities in areas such as: recognition of outstanding contributions to science, education and public awareness, science policy and international relations. The Fellows of the Academy elect a 17 member council which manages the business of the Academy. The decisions of council are carried out by the secretariat in Canberra, supervised by the Executive Committee which comprises the President, Treasurer, Secretaries for Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Science Policy, Education and Public Awareness and the Foreign Secretary. The Council meets at least four times a year and the Executive Committee meets approximately 10 times per year. A Finance Committee, which includes external experts, meets two to three times a year. The academy has 21 National Committees for science which each aim to foster a designated branch of natural science in Australia. While National Committees are usually chaired by a fellow, their membership comprises scientists from across the discipline, sometimes nominated from professional bodies or associations, providing the academy with broad access to Australia’s research community. The academy is Australia’s representative on the International Council for Science (ICSU), and administers subscriptions for 21 of ICSU’s International Scientific Unions and 10 interdisciplinary bodies on behalf of government. These organisations convene scientists across disciplinary boundaries to coordinate research and address issues of global significance, and the academy has important, formal national responsibilities arising from these memberships in which council is advised and supported by the national committees for science and the National Committee for ICSU coordination. These include nominating Australian candidates for ICSU executive positions and voting delegates within the unions’ General Assemblies and Congresses, and issuing invitations to host these events in Australia (for which membership of the parent union is a pre requisite). The academy operates two heritage listed buildings: Ian Potter House for administration and a dedicated conference facility known as the Shine Dome. The Secretariat comprises 24.4 FTE made up of the following: Communications and Outreach (includes media, publications, events, web administration, the Adolph Basser Library and the Nova: Science in the News and Interviews with Australian scientists projects); Fellowship and Awards; Finance and Human Resources (includes facilities management); International (includes National Committee support); and Science Policy (includes early career researcher support). The academy operates on a five-year strategic planning cycle with a mid-term review that initiates the process for the next period. The current strategic plan period is 2010-2015. Appendix G contains a summary of the academy’s strategic plan. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) was founded in 1976 as an independent, non-government organisation and in 2010 11 comprised some 800 Fellows. The academy’s mission is to foster excellence in technological sciences and engineering to enhance Australia's competitiveness, economic and social well-being and environmental sustainability. The academy provides a national forum for discussion and debate on the impact of technology, science and engineering on quality of life. Key strategies of the academy are to: selectively provide robust, independent, and valued technological sciences and engineering based advice to government, industry and community improve education in the technological sciences and engineering promote technological sciences and engineering linkages globally and foster technology transfer champion excellence in technological sciences and engineering. The academy maintains a strong interest in major policy areas including education, energy, health and technology and water. It also has working groups discussing a number of key themes including climate change impact, the built environment, infrastructure and information and communication technology (ICT). The academy’s elected governing board meets at least six times a year. The board consists of the President and Chair, four Vice-Presidents, five Directors and the Chief Executive Officer. The academy also has an assembly which meets at least twice a year to consider policy and strategy and receive and consider reports of the academy. The assembly consists of the President, four Vice-Presidents, four Directors, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), 13 Division Chairs and Representatives and four Topic Forum Chairs. The academy has regional division committees which organise and coordinate academy activities and networks throughout Australia. The academy office is supported by 12 FTE staff including the: CEO; Deputy CEO/ Executive Director – Communications; Executive Director – Technical; Executive Manager – Operations; Governance Officer; Administrative Officer – Divisional Support; Senior Policy and Projects Officer; Executive Manager – International Program; Project Officer – International Program and Australasian Industrial Research Group Coordinator, STELR Project Team and a Manager Events and Sponsorship Coordinator. The academy strategic plan for the period 2009-2012 outlines its key activities. Appendix G contains a summary of the academy’s strategic plan. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) was established in 1971, replacing its parent body the Social Science Research Council of Australia, itself founded in 1942. The academy is an autonomous, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of knowledge and research in the various social sciences. Some key objectives of the academy are: to promote excellence in and encourage the advancement of the social sciences in Australia to act as a coordinating group for the promotion of research and teaching in the social sciences to foster excellence in research and encourage the publication of studies in the social sciences to promote international scholarly cooperation and to act as an Australian national member of international organisations concerned with the social sciences to comment where appropriate on national needs and priorities from the perspective of the social sciences to collaborate with other national bodies for the purposes of research and the production of knowledge. The academy is directed by an executive committee, consisting of the President, the Executive Director, the Treasurer and seven other Fellows elected at a general meeting, normally held annually. The academy operates a policy and advocacy committee which seeks to include the knowledge and expertise of the academy and its Fellows into the formation and review processes for public policymaking. It also operates a finance committee which manages and supervises the general financial affairs of the academy, and a number of additional committees oversee the various programs of the academy. These additional committees oversee the substance and direction of ASSA’s programs. The overall management of the academy is undertaken by the secretariat led by its Executive Director. ASSA is supported by a secretariat that has averaged 4.5 FTE positions during the review period. Other members of the secretariat include: Elections Manager; Accounts Officer; Project Manager (Workshops, Public Forums); International Science and Linkage Officer; Payroll/HR/Banking Officer; Policy and Advocacy and International Programs Manager; Executive Manager/Submissions Manager; Editor-Dialogue. The academy’s strategic plan is currently under development. Australian Council of Learned Academies The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) is the successor to, and continuation of, the National Academies Forum (NAF). Between 1995 and 2010, the forum provided access to academy members for advisory bodies, statutory authorities, selection panels, councils and committees in government, industry and the not-for-profit sector. The Learned Academies made submissions to inquiries, studies and reviews both independently and, when appropriate, through ACOLA. ACOLA is the forum for the four Learned Academies to work cooperatively to harness expert knowledge from multiple disciplinary perspectives, to inform national policy and to develop innovative solutions to complex global problems and emerging national needs. The Learned Academies conduct scholarly research in their independent fields of expertise. The unique role of ACOLA has been to act, when required, on an inter-academy basis, to initiate and coordinate a multi-disciplinary approach to solving complex societal issues for the benefit of Australia’s social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing. In 2010, NAF reconstituted itself as ACOLA in response to the recommendations of a 2005 Review of the Australian Learned Academies and the National Academies Forum, undertaken by independent experts engaged by DEST. ACOLA is an unincorporated association supported by the ACOLA Secretariat Ltd, a company limited by guarantee and owned jointly by the Learned Academies, which has their Chief Executives and Executive Directors as its Board of Directors. ACOLA Secretariat Limited is supported by a General Manager and has 0.7 FTE. The General Manager conducts the day-to-day administrative work of the ACOLA Secretariat Ltd which seeks to: provide an efficient and effective flow of information between the four Learned Academies develop and manage proposals for multi-academy programs relevant to national issues raise public awareness and the media profile of the council’s work and that of the four Learned Academies develop a networking mechanism between the council and the next generation of leading scientists, scholars and researchers. ACOLA has prepared a strategic statement for the period 2010-2012 and an annual work plan for 2011-2012. Appendix G contains a summary of the council’s strategic plan. Assessment The terms of reference for the review include assessment of the HESA-HERP and Learned Academies Supplementation against the Department of Finance and Deregulation’s six expenditure review principles (see Appendix A). The principles are: appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, integration, performance assessment and strategic policy alignment. While the assessment is structured around the six expenditure review principles, it incorporates consideration against all of the terms of reference for the review including, in general terms, the effectiveness of the Learned Academies implementation of the recommendations of the 2005. Appropriateness The principle of appropriateness refers to the case for government intervention by funding activities that address market failures or will contribute to the achievement of social inclusion objectives. The review found that the Learned Academies provided nationally important public goods through the knowledge, research and scholarship of their members. The Learned Academies bridge all disciplines and play a critical role in fostering understanding of, and promoting research and scholarship in, science, social science or the humanities in Australia. The use of public funds to maintain the core capacity of the Learned Academies to harness the expertise of their Fellows for public purposes is appropriate and highly cost effective. As articulated in the Australian Government’s Innovation Agenda – Powering Ideas, an innovation agenda for the 21st century – the innovation system is underpinned by the capacity of Australia to undertake high-quality research that addresses national challenges and opens up new opportunities 1. This is critical public good function of government to which the Learned Academies make a unique and valuable contribution. The Learned Academies are independent, non-commercial, non-government, not for profit organisations that are committed to the pursuit of excellence and the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of Australia. The Fellows of the Learned Academies have been elected by their peers in recognition of distinguished and sustained academic excellence and impact (including industry leaders in the case of ATSE, leaders from the social sciences in the case of ASSA, and representatives of the cultural industries and arts practitioners in the case of AAH). Through the Learned Academies, the government has access to over 2,000 of the brightest minds in Australia. Together, the four Learned Academies encompass all disciplines and are in a unique position to provide the government with independent, multi disciplinary advice on issues of national and international importance. In addition, the activities of the Learned Academies and their Fellows enable them to contribute to public policy and community debates that are based on the latest research and scientific evidence. 1 Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research 2009, Powering Ideas: An Innovation Agenda for the 21st Century, Canberra. Science Technology Education Leveraging Relevance Science Technology Education Leveraging Relevance (STELR) was developed in 2008 and is a national secondary school science education initiative. It was designed to address the decreasing number of students choosing to further their studies in the enabling sciences and mathematics. STELR focuses on key contemporary issues - global warming and climate change - to teach the science curriculum within a relevance framework of renewable energy. The program is a hands-on, inquiry-based, in-curriculum program designed for Year 9 and Year 10 students. ATSE developed the STELR program in order to improve the level of science literacy and understanding in the community, raise awareness of opportunities in technology-related careers, increase the number of students choosing science, technology and engineering careers to address the shortage of graduates in these fields and improve the quality of science classroom teaching practices. STELR’s proof-of-concept and pilot testing and evaluation were funded by ATSE, state governments, donors and corporate support. The roll out of STELR program was funded by the federal Government with support from the corporate and university sectors and from donations by ATSE Fellows. By the end of 2011, the program had reached more than 50,000 students and trained some 1,000 teachers nationwide. STELR has been independently evaluated and it was found that undertaking STELR led to: a clear capacity to increase students’ participation and engagement in science classes an obvious strengthening of the perception that science was relevant to the students’ lives after their involvement in the STELR program shifts in the students’ perceptions about the usefulness of the science they learn at school and increased engagement in learning science. Surveys indicate an increase in students’ awareness of science careers beyond school after completing the STELR program. Much of the improvement in engagement and interest in science by those undertaking STELR has been attributed to the increased relevance of the renewable energy topics being covered and the increased amount of ‘hands-on’ learning the students undertook as part of the program. The key innovative learning elements of STELR include: a shift away from the predominant use of text books to learn science a marked increase in the number of experiments and ‘hand-on’ investigations an increase in purposeful tasks involving students solving real world problems an increase in the use of Information and Communication Technology to learn science more scope and freedom for students to have a say in what they investigate in science and a new focus on answering students’ questions emerging from their inquiry more productive class discussions and group work in STELR and less reliance on didactic methods of teacher-delivered theory the teacher being seen by students as a co-investigator who participated in the inquiry. A major challenge for Australia is to be prepared for the knowledge economy. There is a need for improved skill levels and training to feed future research, industry and business needs. To meet this we must enhance the uptake of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) studies at the tertiary level. STELR aims to ensure a sustainable research workforce by lifting both the quantity and quality of students entering tertiary sciences and engineering courses, and them having a greater awareness of research as a professional career. Following participation in STELR student surveys showed a strong shift towards recognition of science offering interesting and rewarding careers, including as researchers. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Interviews with Australian Scientists The Australian Academy of Science’s oral history program, Interviews with Australian scientists, records the biographical stories of Australian scientists. 38 new interviews were filmed between 2006 and 2010, 85% of which were co-sponsored by university or research institutions associated with the subjects. Interview subjects and their interviewers were selected by Council’s Video Histories Advisory Committee. In addition to a focus on recording interviews with older Academy Fellows, a number of female early-career researchers were included in the filming schedule each year in view of the historical gender imbalance in the Fellowship. A full-time project officer was appointed in late 2007 to manage the program. This included seeking sponsorship for interview expenses, conducting background research, arranging the filming, editing the interviews, and compiling teachers’ notes to accompany the finished DVDs. A key aspect of the Academy’s role as a learned society is to preserve Australia’s scientific history and to educate the Australian public about science and scientists. The Interviews program achieved both these goals. By presenting scientists and their science in a way that is accessible to people of all ages and educational backgrounds, they have generated an insightful record of the inspirations, motivations and aspirations of Australian scientists. Interviews have been used by schools, universities and the general public to learn more about scientists and science. The freely available transcripts, teacher’s notes and short excerpts from a range of interviews were frequently accessed on the Academy’s website, receiving around 3,700 page views per week. In addition, requests for copies of interviews were received from filmmakers, publishers, writers and students and both the national and international organisations link to the Interviews website. Many organisations have used segments of these transcripts on their own webpages, for example, CSIROpedia uses them extensively to illustrate its own history. The Interviews and their accompanying teacher’s notes help students and teachers achieve a deeper understanding of the content. The program enriches science teaching, promotes public understanding of scientists and science, and inspires students to pursue careers in science. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of Science. Effectiveness The effectiveness principle requires that activities have clear and consistent objectives and be effective in achieving their objectives and represent value for money for expenditure of taxpayer’s funds. The review also considered how effectively the Learned Academies have implemented the recommendations of the 2005 Learned Academies Review and utilised Supplementation funding order to achieve HERP-related objectives. In meeting the effectiveness principle, the Learned Academies and ACOLA have provided advice and assistance on national issues. They have conducted workshops, fora, symposia and events to increase the community’s understanding of the importance of science and to advance research in areas of national importance. They have developed and expanded their international influence by strategically targeting their interactions with international organisations in key geographic locations to engage in areas of joint importance. They have also contributed to the development of domestic policy by providing submissions and advice for government enquiries. As noted above, the objective of HERP is to foster understanding of the importance of, or promote research and scholarship in any discipline. The key achievements of each of the Learned Academies under this objective are summarised below. Key Achievements Australian Academy of the Humanities The academy has demonstrated the effectiveness of its utilisation of HERP and supplementation funding during the review period in a variety of ways. The additional funding provided since the 2005 Review allowed the academy to fund two new staffing positions: a dedicated Policy Analyst position and a Project Officer position. This provided capacity within the Secretariat to source advice from the Fellowship (and beyond) to inform the academy’s advice to government, and resulted in 22 submissions to government consultations, enquiries and reviews between 2008 and 2010 ranging from the Review of the National Innovation System to the National Human Rights Consultation. The academy also provided expert advice to government on issues such as Australia’s international cultural obligations under UNESCO Conventions, and advice on high-level disciplinary expertise for selection committees and assessment program for major competitive funding program such as the Cooperative Research Centres Program. The academy has expressed its support for the funding and development of research infrastructure that addresses the needs of humanities researchers, over the review period, conducting an ARC-funded research study into current ICT use and future requirements of humanities researchers; hosting a national symposium on new methods and technologies for humanities research; conducting a scoping study on the development of a national digital archive; and participating in a project to develop better electronic access for researchers to the collections of the nation’s museums. It provided leadership and policy advice during the development of the Government’s research infrastructure roadmaps. The academy was also involved in the development of policy initiatives relating to measuring research quality by helping to shape the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) initiative, and its predecessor the Research Quality Framework (RQF). In this context it provided key expert advice to government on appropriate assessment metrics for the humanities research sector and contributed its expertise to national debate and discussion on the impact of the ERA initiative in the 2009 National Academies Forum (NAF). During the review period, the academy promoted the intellectual, cultural, strategic and economic importance of language education with a view to revitalising language policy in Australia. It conducted two major ARC-funded research projects; sponsored three national public fora to focus national attention on languages, including the National Languages Summit (2007); assisted with the formation of a major national network for teachers, academics and educators of languages across Australia; and sponsored and led a languages roundtable at HASS on the HILL in 2009 at Parliament House. Over the review period, the academy’s international activities funded under the HERP program focused primarily on facilitating international collaborative opportunities for the broader humanities research community. The Academy administered an international research and exchange program for humanities researchers. Within the international arena the academy has acted as the key point of contact for international organisations such as Taiwan’s Academica Sinica, the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences (CASS), and the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei enabling the exploration of collaborative activities with Australia’s humanities community. It acted as the Australian correspondent for international award organisations such as the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy. The academy also participated in the Australia-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC). To support the next generation of humanities researchers and Australia’s research workforce the academy has a number of programs which encourage and reward excellence, build research capacity and facilitate the careers of early and mid career scholars, including the Max Crawford Medal, the Hancock lecture, the McCredie Musicological Award, the Publication Subsidy scheme and the Humanities Travelling Fellowships (HTF) scheme. The Academy utilised HERP funding to award 51 publication subsidies to assist researchers to publish their work during the review period; funded 49 Humanities Travelling Fellowships (HTF) to assist early careers researchers access vital research depositories overseas or participate in collaborative research activities; and awarded 34 grants to support researcher exchange with key overseas counterpart academies. The Academy produced and disseminated humanities research and scholarship in a variety of forms over the review period. It published two edited collections and three Academy editions of Australian Literature (AEAL). In 2009, the Academy launched a new flagship journal, Humanities Australia, which showcases the depth and breadth of work of Australia’s humanities researchers. The annual journal, whose first edition was released in 2010, is targeted at a public audience and is distributed to universities and secondary schools, to Qantas Club lounges, and to Australian embassies around the world. Languages Policy During the Review period, the AAH took a national leadership role in promoting the intellectual, cultural, strategic and economic importance of language education and research for Australia. The 2006 Academy Symposium, ‘Gift of the Gab: Languages and Australia’, and the 2007 National Languages Summit, provided key opportunities for researchers, teachers, industry representatives, members of Australia’s defence forces, and representatives of ethnic communities to communicate directly with parliamentarians, and senior policy makers, in a frank and open exchange, showcasing ideas and research. These events informed two further Academy research projects into provision of languages education at Australian universities, and their role in enhancing the nation’s language ability. Such research is vital in informing national debate. A key outcome of these projects was the establishment in 2010 of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU) which aims to develop a coordinated national approach to language education and research. Maintaining a strong languages capacity in Australia and an understanding of the complex cultural and language systems that operate around the world has both intrinsic and applied benefits for the nation. These are evident across the gamut of Australia’s international engagement activities, including multinational and global business endeavours; disaster and humanitarian assistance missions; international diplomacy; the global climate change effort; and international migration management. Building capacity within the Australian research sector in language and cultural understanding is critical to Australia’s participation as a member of the global community. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Australian Academy of Science The academy drew upon the expertise of its Fellows and National Committees for Science to inform discussion and assist evidence-based decision making on issues of importance to Australia. This included 57 submissions to reviews, inquiries and reports on innovation policy and research funding and infrastructure priorities. Amongst the most significant were two Productivity Commission reviews on public support for research, the Review of the National Innovation System, the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, the Uranium Mining, Processing and Nuclear Energy (UMPNER) review, and the Lockhart review of human cloning and stem cell legislation. The academy was able to demonstrate to this review its utilisation of Supplementation funding to increase the administrative assistance provided to the National Committees. For example, the academy was able to support more frequent meetings, conferences and workshops, and the development of four decadal plans and two mid-term reviews for specific disciplines that involved broad interaction with the research community. The academy also outlined that with access to Supplementation funding it was able to establish a competitive seed fund which further enhanced National Committee activities. The academy provided 29 public presentations, and presented Science at the Shine Dome, an annual three-day event designed to inform debate and increase public understanding of the importance of Australian science. In 2006, the academy also introduced a series of monthly public lectures on science topics, and Supplementation funding in 2008 allowed the extension of the series over a full year, enabling a more thorough exploration of issues. The academy produced expert reports on a range of emerging technologies, as well as the acclaimed Climate Change Science: Questions and Answers document and, with HERP program support, produced Nova - Science in the News, a web-based program aimed at a non-technical audience that offers pertinent and current context for teaching all three strands of the Australian Curriculum: Science. To improve teacher quality and enhance student learning the academy progressed the development of two successful school science education programs, Primary Connections for primary and Science by Doing for early secondary, with funding from the Department of Employment Education and Workplace Relations. In addition to supporting 38 research conferences, symposia and workshops on a diverse range of discipline areas, the academy used HERP program funding to engage many young scientists through its High Flyers Think Tanks. The think tanks are held around Australia and bring young researchers together from a range of science disciplines to participate with a working group comprising Fellows and other experts to explore key issues of national interest. The Frontiers of Science is another initiative created by the academy to engage early to midcareer researchers. These biennial events are organised by a committee of early to midcareer researchers with administrative support provided by the Secretariat. The academy’s Basser Library and journal, Historical Records of Australian Science, represent a unique resource for information on the development of Australian science. The Academy supported the implementation of the ISL program by accessing its bilateral links with sister academies and the national and international networks of Fellows to organise 20 bilateral workshops to identify collaborative opportunities in priority countries, and to administer exchange programs between Australia and Europe, North America, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan that enabled almost 1,000 researchers to build relationships between countries and institutions. See ISL vignette. HERP and Supplementation program funding for Australia’s memberships of ICSU organisations has enabled Australia’s science credibility and influence to be enhanced globally through the high levels of representation achieved on 75 per cent of the executives, strong involvement of Australian researchers in planning and priority setting at the operational level, and the hosting of four General Assemblies that attracted well over 3,500 delegates, most of whom came from overseas (conservatively estimated to have generated over $15 million for the economy). Australia’s reputation for constructive contribution in the region is demonstrated by the Academy’s election to the chair of ICSU’s Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific, the Executive Committee of the InterAcademy Panel, the Board of the InterAcademy Council and the Presidency of the Federation of Asian Scientific Academies and Societies. Primary Connections Primary Connections (PC) builds confidence and competence of primary school teachers to teach science well so that young students’ interest in the natural world can be harnessed and an enjoyment of science learning can be fostered at an early age. PC is led by the Australian Academy of Science and links the teaching of science with the teaching of literacy in Australian primary schools. PC consists of rich curriculum resources, integrated with teacher professional learning that develop students’ interest in, and knowledge, skills and understanding of, science. PC is a high quality, innovative science education program based on contemporary education research. It has proved effective in developing teachers’ skills and encouraging students’ interest in and learning of science. PC will support the introduction of the new Australian Curriculum for science from Foundation to Year 6. The development and implementation of the Australian Curriculum is one of the government’s key education objectives. The interest in science which PC will promote will, longer term, also contribute to the achievement of the Government’s goals for a more highly skilled and productive workforce that can sustain Australia’s economic performance. The interest and commitment of state and territory education authorities in the PC approach will contribute to its ongoing sustainability. Around 300,000 PC curriculum units have already been purchased, with over 55 per cent of Australian primary schools having purchased at least one unit. Over 8000 PC-centred professional learning workshops have been run by trainers trained in the PC approach. The PC concept was developed and championed under the leadership of then AAS President, Dr Jim Peacock, and he and successive Presidents and Education Secretaries have strongly promoted the program nationally and internationally. This demonstrates the effective contribution that academy fellows can make on issues of national importance. Courtesy of the former Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. High Flyers Think Tanks High Flyers Think Tanks focussed on topics of national interest central to current policy concerns, with the goal of producing a relevant and timely report that contributed to evidence -based policy and program development. Think Tanks were held across Australia from 2006 through to 2010. Each involved approximately 60 outstanding early to mid-career researchers from a range of science disciplines working with a group of Fellows and other experts to explore key issues. Participants gained insights into the policy process, refined their understanding of the contributions that can be made by their own and other disciplines, and established networks for future collaborations. Rapporteurs from amongst the early to mid-career researchers worked together with an expert discussion leader to produce a summary of their group’s outcomes to inform a general discussion, following which the final conclusions and recommendations were published in the Think Tank proceedings. The Think Tanks provided a unique platform in Australia for generating fresh thinking from some of the nation’s future research leaders. Early and mid- career researchers across a range of disciplines, from applied social science to theoretical physical sciences, learnt within a structured and proven methodology how to work productively together to address issues of social, environmental and economic importance to the nation. In highly positive feedback Think Tank participants reported their understanding of the use of research in a policy context and ability to communicate and network effectively across disciplines had been significantly enhanced. The results of the Think Tanks have fed directly into policy development processes at both the State and Federal levels. For example, the 2010 Think Tank Searching the Deep Earth, resulted in a collaborative project between leaders of the Australian mineral and resource research, government and industry sectors to address the challenges of next generation exploration beneath the highly weathered surface of the Australian continent. Scientific advances and the understanding of complex systems increasingly require the concerted efforts of teams of scientists from different disciplines. By improving the interdisciplinary skills and perspectives of leading early and mid-career scientists, the Think Tanks increase Australia’s pool of talented researchers capable of contributing to such work. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of Science. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The academy engaged government, industry and the wider community on issues of national importance such as the role of innovation and the importance of science and technology (S&T) by conducting some 50 symposia, seminars, workshops, lectures and other events. Some examples include the 29th ATSE National Symposium: New Technology for Infrastructure – The World of Tomorrow; an Energy Options for Western Australia seminar; the Crawford Parliamentary Conference on Water for Irrigated Agriculture and the Environment; three public lectures on Bird Flu (in the ACT); a Global Change and DNA Research workshop; the ATSE Clunies Ross Awards and Dinner; and engagement with the government on the Clean Energy Program. The academy has provided advice and assistance on matters of national importance through the publication of 12 major scientific and technical reports; provision of 29 parliamentary briefings, the publication of 28 editions of Focus which have encouraged debate on specific science and technology issues, and preparation of 57 submissions to government on key national science and technology issues. Activities the academy has organised to address challenges in science education include the participation of 1,450 Year 10 students and their teachers from some 285 schools in the Extreme Science Experience program; delivery of four schools outreach programs and other educational activities showcasing careers in technological sciences and engineering; and the establishment of the Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance (STELR) program in 183 schools from all states and territories, involving more than 24,000 students and 750 teachers. The academy utilised its international networks and collaborative relationships through the ISL program when organising 153 activities including workshops, missions, delegations, conferences, exchanges and training programs with international partners. The academy also led an international seven country cooperative research project on low carbon energy, the conclusions of which not only provided critical data for Australian policy considerations but which were adopted by the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) as their policy statement on low carbon energy. More recently, the academy completed six workshops, two missions, one delegation, and a Sir Mark Oliphant conference and developed next step programs for the China Australia Symposium series under the ISL-Science Academies Program in conjunction with AAS. It also managed an Australian-Indian Emerging Leader Science and Technology Excellence Award for the Australia-India Council, continued to run the young scientist/emerging leader exchange program with China and Korea, and developed a new emerging leader’s exchange program for Singapore. The academy has been an active member of CAETS, including through attendance by an ATSE delegation to the CAETS meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark in July 2010. The academy also led a seven country cooperative research project on low carbon energy under the auspices of CAETS. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia A key objective of the academy over the review period was to respond to the 2005 review and ASSA’s extensive self-review, and meet the requirements attached to the HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding. In doing so, ASSA bolstered its Policy and Advocacy Program, with the aim of strengthening the social sciences' contribution to the policy debate and the academy’s capacity to act as an advocate for the contribution of the social sciences to issues of national importance. Fourteen policy roundtables (dialogues between researchers and policy makers) were held on subjects such as Skills Development Scenarios for Australia, Racism and the Student Experience, Addressing Indigenous Disadvantage and Federalism. The findings from these events are recorded in academy publications which are widely distributed. Policy and Advocacy activities over the review period also included submissions to government and parliamentary reviews on issues including: the Student Visa Program, Research Workforce Strategy, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and Australia’s Urban Water Sector. The academy’s Workshop Program funded 34 workshops on topics including the: Federal elections in 2007 and 2010; Consolidating Research in Australian Teacher Education; Energy Security in an Era of Climate Change; The Future of Australian Anti-discrimination Law; and Positive Pathways for Families and Couples. Workshops bring together leading scholars, early career researchers, and policy-makers where relevant, to focus specialist attention on issues of national concern in the social sciences. Reports of workshops are published in the academy’s journal and on its website. Most workshops also result in major publications including books and special journal issues. The academy also pursued an active research program. ASSA’s commissioned research program over the period 2006-2008 resulted in the production of a number of published papers including: Wages Policy in an Era of Deepening Wage Inequality; Learning to Read in Australia; and Population and Australia's future labour force. ASSA’s Census project (overseen by ASSA and using funds and customised Census data from the ABS) applied the expertise of leading social scientists to the Australian Census in order give a series of snapshots of the Australian populace in 2006. Five Census papers, including Lives of diversity: Indigenous Australia, were published and distributed and are available for download from the Academy’s website. With funding from the ARC Linkage Program, academy Fellows also completed four research projects and embarked on the academy’s first three year research project. ASSA’s International program maintains scholarly, research and institutional links between the social sciences in Australia and overseas counterparts, with research grants on topics of importance to Australia and collaborating countries being pursued by leading early-career academics. ASSA Fellows often act as the coordinator for these joint activities, or are attached to the research grant as a senior partner. Internationally, the academy was an active member of the Association of Asian Social Science Research Councils (AASSREC), the principal social scientific organisation of the peak academic and professional bodies in the Asia-Pacific region, with ASSA invited to assume the role of secretariat of AASSREC over the review period. ASSA also gained a seat at the executive of the peak world body, the International Social Science Council, and now has a position of considerable influence within key international social sciences fora. Over the period of this review the International Exchange program was re invigorated, with partner countries over the period including China, Vietnam, India, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Reforms to the program placed an even greater emphasis on early career research, so as to promote the next generation of scholars. The academy significantly expanded its public lecture program, which now comprises three named lectures annually (compared with one annual lecture in 2007), including the Paul Bourke Lecture by an early career award winner and the Fay Gale Lecture for which a senior female researcher is selected. For these and the Keith Hancock Lecture, presentations are made in the lecturer’s home institution and two interstate locations. Video recordings of all the lectures are made available on the academy’s website, in keeping with the academy’s outreach objective. Over the review period, the academy also held five symposia, open to the public via registration. Participants at ASSA symposia regularly include representatives of the Australian and other governments and of non-government organisations, as well as students and academic researchers. The topics were: internal migration in Australia urban water services and human behaviour fostering creativity and innovation; the application of Spatially Integrated Social Science (SISS) methods to issues of national public policy the impact of the global financial crisis on Australian families. Each year the academy published 2-3 issues of its journal, Dialogue, and distributed them widely to research and policy organisations and parliamentarians. Dialogue contains reports on all ASSA activities and commissioned articles on a range of issues of importance to social science. Australian Council of Learned Academies During the current review period, ACOLA was responsible for 12 different projects, including workshops, public lectures, conferences and reports, as well as the publication of conference proceedings and academic papers. Topics covered included a number of areas that were particularly appropriate to the development of national policy such as sustainability (2004-05), tsunami management (2005), water regimes (2005), nanotechnology (2006), innovation systems (2008), risk management (2006), research evaluation (2009), and nuclear power (2010). ACOLA also collaborated with organisations such as the ARC (ERA workshop, 2009), Universities Australia (inaugural Canberra conference 2009); Youth ANZAAS (Melbourne conference, 2009), and National and State Libraries Darwin’s Ape lectures (2009) to deliver additional public outcomes. Internationally, ACOLA has regularly supported Australian representation at the conferences of the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (UK, 2005; Sri Lanka, 2007; Morocco, 2009). Supplementation The 2005 review recommendations regarding funding of the Learned Academies were largely implemented in the 2007-08 budget with the introduction of Supplementation funding for the Academies and ACOLA through to 2011-12. The 2005 review recommended an increase in funding to generate significantly enhanced outcomes. The 2005 review stated that the nation will gain and the Government will benefit proportionately from the additional infrastructure support provided to the Academies. Supplementation funding has enabled each of the Learned Academies and ACOLA to enhance the capacity of their secretariats to coordinate and effectively project manage the provision of policy advice. It enabled new activity such as the employment of dedicated policy officers and, in some cases international coordinators, who have enabled the Learned Academies to provide more considered policy advice on a wider range of issues and to more effectively engage with government, early career researchers and other key stakeholders. The key outcomes of this additional funding are described below. Australian Academy of the Humanities The increased funding through core HERP and Supplementation enabled the academy to fund a dedicated policy position in the secretariat. Commencing in 2008, two new positions – a Policy Analyst position and a Project Officer position – provided the capacity within the secretariat to source advice from the Fellowship (and beyond) and to contribute to various submissions to government, consultations, enquiries and reviews. Australian Academy of Science The increased funding through HERP and Supplementation enhanced the capacity of the secretariat to provide support for international activities and National Committees, engagement with early and mid-career researchers, and events organisation. It also enabled the appointment of a dedicated science policy officer to facilitate close working relationships with Fellows to respond to reviews, inquiries and consultations, and generate and administer project funding to produce expert reports relevant to Government priorities. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The increased funding through HESA-HERP and Supplementation has funded not only oneoff reviews on governance and membership and ongoing improvements to ATSE operations, as well as, most notably, ongoing appointments of three staff (a senior-level Chief Executive Officer, a Communications Manager and a Senior Policy Officer). Thus supplementary funding is vital in resourcing ongoing core staffing so as to better allow the full engagement of its Fellows in current national policy challenges in science, technology and innovation. This in turn enhances the academy’s effectiveness, outreach and influence. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia The combined funding available through HERP and Supplementation allowed ASSA to significantly expand its program of policy roundtables, and to bolster its workshops program (with increased levels of support), to re-invigorate its international exchange program and to introduce two new series of public lectures. The increased funding also enabled the academy to engage staff to assist with policy submissions and other initiatives, to conduct an internal review and implement its recommendations, and to re-develop the ASSA website so that it provides a rich resource of information on academy programs, activities and publications. Value for money Value for money is an important component of the Effectiveness Principle. It is used to assess whether or not an organisation has obtained the maximum benefit from the goods and services it both acquires and provides, within the resources available to it. Judgement is required when assessing value for money in the government context especially as to whether it has been satisfactorily achieved or not. It not only measures the cost of goods and services, but also takes account of the mix of quality, cost, resource use, fitness for purpose, timeliness, and convenience to judge whether or not, together, they constitute good value. In this context, the review looked at ongoing HESA-HERP funding and Supplementation funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA (see Table 2). There was a large increase in HESA HERP funding that flowed to the Learned Academies and ACOLA after the 2007 08 budget that picked up several recommendations to increase funding after the 2005 review. In the 2007 08 budget, the government announced an increase in funding of $8 million over 4 years for the Learned Academies and ACOLA. The ongoing HESA HERP funding which is indexed was increased by around 50 per cent and the Supplementation funding of $1 million per annum was introduced. It will terminate in 2011 12. The Learned Academies provide ready access to independent advice from some of Australia’s and the world’s brightest minds, including not only their Fellows but expanded networks of researchers, end-users and international connections. For government, access to quality, independent advice informed by the latest research and scientific evidence is immeasurable. The cost contributed by the government to support the operations of the Learned Academies is greatly leveraged and value for money maximised because the expertise of the Fellows is provided on a pro bono basis (also refer to the Efficiency principle below). Fellows contribute their time and advice to the Learned Academies on an entirely voluntary basis, and do so in a myriad of ways including: serving on academy committees contributing to the preparation of policy submissions and reports serving on government advisory panels, selection panels and review committees, participating in bilateral government meetings, and attending parliamentary hearings and committees accepting voluntary roles on governance and management boards participating on inter-Academy committees organising and participating in national and international consultative workshops convening symposia and fora writing directly for the media and offering commentary delivering policy papers brokering partnerships between the academy and other organisations – including government and industry. No other network or commercial organisation has the same access to such a high calibre pool of experts, let alone the capacity to mobilise significant voluntary contributions or this level of independence. Furthermore, advice from any of the Learned Academies carries with it prestige and credibility, due to the recognised esteem of its Fellows. ACOLA adds an additional level of value, given its multi disciplinary emphasis and privileged access to the resources of all four Learned Academies. The increased funding that the Learned Academies and ACOLA have received through both HESA-HERP and the Supplementation Learned Academies program has assisted the Learned Academies to expand their work particularly in providing the government with expert advice on issues of national importance, international representation, building the capacity of Australia’s current and future research leaders, and raising the community awareness of the contributions made by research. The Supplementation funding has represented about a quarter of the funding the Learned Academies use for their continuing activities. In reviewing the implications of the scheduled end of Supplementation funding in mid 2012, the Learned Academies have highlighted that their work programs will have to be scaled back in areas of policy advice and international research and engagement. Table 2 HESA-Grant in Aid (a), HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA, by calendar year ($ million) 2006 2007 2008 HESA Grant in Aid - Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) 0.340 0.346 0.546 HESA Grant in Aid - Australian Academy of Science (AAS) 0.873 0.890 1.129 0.367 0.375 0.715 HESA Grant in Aid - Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE) 2009 2010 2011 - - - - - - - - - 2006 2007 2008 HESA Grant in Aid - Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) 0.340 0.347 0.546 HESA Grant in Aid - Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) 0.063 0.065 0.125 1.983 2.023 3.061 HESA-HERP funding - Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) - - - HESA-HERP funding - Australian Academy of Science (AAS) - - - HESA-HERP funding - Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE) - - - HESA-HERP funding - Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) - - - HESA-HERP funding - Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) - - - Total HESA-HERP funding - - - Supplementation funding - Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) - - Supplementation funding - Australian Academy of Science (AAS) - - Supplementation funding - Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE) - - Supplementation funding - Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) - - Supplementation funding - Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) - - Total Supplementation funding - - Total HESA-Grant in Aid, HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding 1.983 2.023 Total HESA Grant in Aid 2009 2010 2011 - - - - - - - - - 0.546 0.555 0.560 1.222 1.241 1.254 0.674 0.684 0.691 0.546 0.555 0.560 0.117 0.119 0.120 3.105 3.154 3.185 0.178 0.185 0.185 0.185 0.369 0.296 0.296 0.296 0.234 0.284 0.284 0.284 0.178 0.185 0.185 0.185 0.041 0.050 0.050 0.050 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 4.061 4.105 4.154 4.185 Notes for Table 2: a) b) Supplementation funding was announced in 2007-08 budget. c) In 2008 the Commonwealth signed a single year supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and NAF to supplement funds received through HESA Grant in Aid. In 2009 the Commonwealth signed a single year supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and NAF to supplement funds received through HESA-HERP. ) In 2010 the Commonwealth signed a threeyear supplementary funding agreement with each of the Learned Academies and NAF to supplement funds received through HESA-HERP. Summary The objective of the HERP and Supplementation funding is to foster understanding of the importance of, or promote research and scholarship in, any discipline. The Learned Academies have effectively met this objective through both their domestic and international activities, including through hosting fora, contributing to processes to develop research infrastructure roadmaps, making submissions to government reviews, supporting researchers and publishing major scientific and technical reports on issues such as energy security. While some other organisations may be able to undertake similar activities, it is not clear that any other body could deliver them across all disciplines, with the same level of independence or expertise. The increased funding that the Learned Academies and ACOLA have received through both HESA-HERP and the Supplementation Learned Academies program has assisted them to leverage their existing work to build the capability of Australia’s current and future research leaders within the national innovation system. In addition, as the Learned Academies have the capacity to marshal contributions (including voluntary contributions) from their Fellows, their networks of researchers, end-users and international connections, the grants they receive can leverage significant resources that help deliver the government’s policy objectives. Additionally the Learned Academies have low overheads, can draw on the voluntary nature of the Fellows, their breadth of skills and expertise, and the alignment of the Learned Academies to the national policy and the science research and innovation system. Efficiency The efficiency principle requires that government funding be administered and delivered in the most efficient way achievable and consideration of whether funding is distorting resource allocation by operating as a disincentive for the recipient to seek other funding or pursue other appropriate activity. The review assessed whether the Learned Academies and ACOLA operate efficiently to deliver HERP objectives, including how well they leverage HERP funding to attract new funding and deliver greater outcomes. The review also considered whether there were any unintended effects or distortions in resource allocation as a result of HERP funding. While grants provide a financial incentive to undertake specific activities, they can also act as a disincentive to pursue alternative income and activities. In submissions provided by the Learned Academies it is clear that they have sought and obtained additional funding from a wide range of portfolios and some Learned Academies have extended their services to include consultancies in the private sector. The Learned Academies and ACOLA have used the increase in HERP support, including Supplementation, to boost the capacity of their organisations to contribute independent, expert, evidence-based advice to inform policy debates and to deliver international activities. For the Learned Academies, HERP support is seen as enabling in that it provides certainty to core functions which allows the Learned Academies to then pursue project specific funding to further their strategic objectives. The Learned Academies continue to receive income from a range of government and non-government sources and have been effective in leveraging HERP support. The Learned Academies vary in terms of their size, structure and administrative arrangements according to their level of funding. Each of the Learned Academies and ACOLA have reviewed their governance and administrative arrangements since the 2005 review and have either developed or are in the process of finalising strategic plans. Appendix G contains a synthesis of the main elements of the Learned Academies and ACOLA’s strategic plans including their key strategies and actions. At the time of developing this report, ASSA was still in the process of drafting its strategic plan2. Within the strategic plans examined, ATSE has focussed on prioritising its work to focus on key emerging national issues, such as climate change, energy and water; AAS has improved the interaction with the broader science community through its National Committees to stimulate discipline development and international research collaboration; and the AAH focused on developing further strategic links with international organisations and on the particular needs of early career scholars as future leaders in humanities research and teaching. To further the Learned Academies’ and ACOLA’s aims and objectives, regular meetings with government agencies would ensure they are aware of government’s short and long term priorities. These regular updates could then flow into discussions within and between the Learned Academies and ACOLA, and decision making processes. For example, providing the government policy advice on critical issues, and workshops, seminars and other fora they could host which would inform this advice. Integration The integration principle refers to the ability of government agencies to work together to consistently deliver policy objectives with clearly defined lines of responsibility. The review assessed whether funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA under various government programs was complementary, consistent with policy objectives, and delivered with clear lines of responsibility. As noted above, HERP supports the operations of the Learned Academies and their key activities. It acts as an enabler for the Learned Academies to successfully apply for funding from other government programs to deliver additional activities that complement the overall HERP objectives and overall government priorities. Through their cooperative association, ACOLA, the four Academies are uniquely able to catalyse multidisciplinary efforts needed for innovation and to address emerging national needs. ACOLA, which replaces the former National Academies Forum, was established in recognition of the value of bringing multiple disciplinary perspectives to bear on the complex challenges facing the nation and the world. This approach complements the integration principle. 2 The Australian Academy of Social Sciences strategic plan is expected to be finalised in mid-August 2012. It will then be taken to the Annual General Meeting in November 2012 for formal adoption by the academy. Indigenous Post-Graduate Summer School and Mentoring program In 2002 the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia embarked on a program to assist Indigenous postgraduate students and their supervisors in their joint aspirations to ensure the timely progress to completion of Masters, PhD, and other professional qualifications. The Summer School involves a week of residential, intensive activity. This initiative attracted support from private foundations and individuals and has completed three very successful summer schools with ASSA Fellows generously volunteering their services. Originally the program operated with funding support from ASSA and DEEWR for 5 years from 2004, subsequently Melbourne University assumed full financial and other responsibility for the program, which now forms past of its credit course offerings. The ASSA Indigenous Summer School and Mentoring Program filled a conspicuous void in the postgraduate education of Indigenous students in Australia. Efforts to increase the numbers of post-graduate Indigenous students, a clearly under-represented group began more than three decades ago, and while Indigenous entrances to universities increased there were concerns that their progress through to degree was not as high as it might have been, or ought to be. In 2001 ASSA approached Government for trial funding to improve completion rates and degree satisfaction by Indigenous post graduate students. ASSA funded a pilot program in 2001, and then government joined with ASSA in 2004 to continue the program for three years. ASSA funded the first summer school at Melbourne University, bringing students and their mentors together with senior ASSA academics and others to ascertain the views of Indigenous students and their mentors and to set out some plans to improve the factors that led to difficulties for Indigenous students. Most importantly, the program continues at the University of Melbourne and now has course credit. It is now run out of the Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit. Thus ASSA founded an ongoing unit that provides direct and effective support for Indigenous postgraduate students. In the years (2004-8) that the government assisted ASSA in this initiative, eighty three post graduate took advantage of the course. In that time seventy-nine faculty mentors volunteered their time and thirty eight staff were engaged to manage the summer school at Trinity College, U. Melbourne. The extraordinary contributions of faculty (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) measures the commitment of academics to the summer school’s principles and provided a very strong indicator to the students of the kind of mentoring they should expect at their institutions. Tracking the success rates of the students has proved to be problematical as many have pursued their course of study part-time and are thus not yet finished. ASSA plans to work with Onemda to track students through their ten-year post-graduate and early professional experience. ASSA is currently advertising for a second start-up opportunity for an Indigenous post graduate mentoring program in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, New South Wales the Northern Territory. ASSA is doing this with funds raised outside of government sources. Many, if not most of the students are engaged in very practical theses, with research areas such as, Indigenous history, trans-generational trauma, public health, foetal alcohol syndrome, policy and curriculum, Indigenous education, Aboriginal people and mental health, applied epidemiology, health administration and Aboriginal studies, trans-generational loss and grief, social epidemiology in HIV/AIDS, Indigenous health capacity building, international and Indigenous studies, and violent death, drug misuse and community fracturing. Importantly, these subjects are extraordinarily difficult for non-Indigenous researchers to tackle. Problems of trust, entrée to communities and reporting are matters that Indigenous scholars can best, perhaps uniquely, address. Ironically, their credibility in doing so (viz. in the broader research community) is dependent on the investigator having bona fide university qualifications. The ASSA Summer School and Mentoring Program is aimed at precisely this intersection – simultaneously building both the capacity and credibility of the post graduate student. The research sector is strengthened in capacity by a project such as this, and the flow on effects to further generations of Indigenous students can only be imagined. Courtesy of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. International Science Linkages Another area of obvious complementary objectives is international activities, with the Learned Academies simultaneously receiving support under HERP and ISL (see Table 3) to foster international relationships, include exchange programs and joint research programs. Under ISL, the Science Academies Program and the Humanities and Social Sciences Academies Program provided funding to the Learned Academies to undertake activities including international exchanges and Fellowships and workshops. Under ISL, the academies also received funding through contracts for specific projects with international partners. The ISL program commenced in 2002 and terminated on 30 June 2011. See Appendix E for further information on ISL. AAS and ATSE received ISL funding over all five years in the review period and, when the ISL program was extended to incorporate humanities, arts and social sciences, AAH and ASSA were able to access funding from 2009. ACOLA did not receive funding through the ISL program. Over the review period, between 2006 and 2010, ISL funding increased to $4.4 million (up by 64 percent). The total level of ISL funding fell every second year when compared with the previous year – 2007, 2009 and 2011. While the ISL program has now ended, DIISRTE continues to work with the Learned Academies in identifying opportunities for promoting international collaboration. Table 3 International Science Linkages funding to the Learned Academies and ACOLA, calendar year ($ million) 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) - - - 0.165 0.325 0.084 Australian Academy of Science (AAS) 1.717 0.259 1.794 1.030 3.268 0.615 Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE) 0.996 0.573 0.449 0.332 0.478 0.145 Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) - - - 0.165 0.375 0.084 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) - - - - - - Total 2.713 0.832 2.243 1.692 4.446 0.928 The International Science Linkages Program The International Science Linkages Program supported Australia’s science and research engagement with key partner countries and contributed to the national goal of increasing international collaboration in research, articulated in Powering Ideas: An innovation agenda for the 21st century. The academies played an important role in the International Science Linkages Program, including through their participation in Australian delegations at government bilateral science and technology meetings, assisting in strategic planning exercises, serving on expert advisory groups and identifying members with relevant expertise for peer review panels for a range of competitive grants programs under ISL. The academies also undertook or administered a range of projects and programs under the auspices of the ISL program, including international exchanges and fellowships, missions, workshops and conferences. These activities advanced Australia’s interests in engaging with the global science, arts and humanities systems by supporting the building of relationships and networks between Australians and their leading international peers. Courtesy of Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. Australian Academy of the Humanities For AAH, ISL funding allowed the academy to allocate substantially more resources to supporting collaborative international relationships for the humanities and creative arts research sector in Australia, through a competitive grants scheme which funded exchanges, visiting Fellowships and collaborative workshops. Prior to receiving ISL funding in 2009, AAH had already been running its own small-scale Fellowship program from within HESA-HERP funding to support humanities researchers to engage internationally, recognising not only the importance of international collaboration but the gap in the market in terms of support for humanities scholars in this area. The introduction of ISL offered a multiplier effect to existing activities and enabled the academy to capitalise on the international network of its Fellows. Australian Academy of Science AAS has undertaken an extensive range of international engagement activities, including representation in international forums and extensive exchange networks with Europe, the US and Asia. For example, AAS negotiated a reciprocal agreement with the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) program, supported by the ISL program, to provide Australian researchers with access to European expertise and facilities to support their research. Australia extensively participates in COST Actions in Europe and the academy’s role in negotiating and project managing this interaction has enhanced the reputation of Australian science abroad. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering ATSE’s international engagement activities, supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as well as the ISL program, have focused on and enabled accelerated science and technology engagement with Asia, including support for mid-career researcher exchanges with China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. These engagements have had lasting outcomes and benefits, including long-term joint research collaborations and publications. International Collaboration ATSE has enhanced international collaborations through the engagement of mid-career researchers in exchanges with China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Between 2006 and 2010, ATSE had administered four rounds of the Australia China Young Scientist Exchange programs (ACYSEP); the Australia Korea Early Career Researcher Exchange program; one round of Australia Japan Emerging Researcher Leaders Exchange program (AJERLEP) in 2010 and one round of Australia Singapore Emerging Research Leaders Exchange program (ASERLEP) in 2009 and 2010. This has led to long-term personal and institutional linkages, joint publications and staff and student exchange. Each two-way exchange consists of a delegation undertaking a two week placement (usually eight researchers per country delegation with strong research linkages in a topic area which is a national priority to both countries), in which the delegates complete a tailored program to ensure the most productive meetings are held, thus allowing for international research linkages to progress. The importance of these linkage building activities is to position our future research leaders and their institutions into environments that yield sustained high levels of collaboration, research funding and influential research findings. The acceleration of the collaboration process within national priority research areas leads to enhanced innovation capacity that benefits the Australian economy. International collaboration in science and engineering is needed because: Australia contributes some 3 per cent of research and its success as a technology price setter depends on leveraging off, and participating in, the international efforts Research has shown that international collaboration results in high quality research (as measured by citation index), as opposed to those not collaborating Researches with international collaborators win more grants to fund the proposed research. Australia must leverage its investment in science and innovation. The aim of the ATSE activities is to accelerate global research relationships by providing greater and more effective access to international science relationships. Traditionally collaborative networks are formed very slowly, characterised by working through a senior mentor and gradually building networks through attending overseas conferences. This approach is slow and haphazard. There is a need for accelerated network formation in a strategic manner, if Australia is to perform strongly in innovation. Collaborative relationships are proven to produce better research and optimise the environment for innovation breakthroughs. The strategic outcome is the accelerated development of a competitive edge in the research capability and quality of participating Australian technologists, scientist and engineers, who are thus more likely to innovate and therefore contribute to Australia’s competiveness and prosperity. A secondary outcome is the capacity of this group of researchers and, importantly, their Institutions, to link the next cohort of Australian researchers into established international research collaboration frameworks - all in research areas of national importance. These activities also result in Australian researchers who are more effectively able to contribute to policy debate on priority science and technology issues. For example, the Australia-China exchange program has seen significant collaboration centres established such as the Australia China Centre for Phenomics Research (ANU); the Australia China Centre for Excellence in Stem Cells (Monash, Peking Universities) and the CSIRO China Thermal Power Research Institute. Cooperation in science and technology at the international level is a key element in national science and innovation systems and is vital in supporting economic growth. The many direct and indirect economic benefits of international collaboration include: Bringing Australia key skills, capabilities and access to research infrastructure Facilitating the participation of Australian experts in research activities of global significance Enhancing reputation of Australian science and technology Increasing quality of research publications, as measured by citation impact, with Australian authorships Enhancing access to international expertise and networks of researchers that facilitate major programs of global and national significance to be addressed Providing a stimulating environment which triggers new ideas, technologies and innovations Sharing of costs and risks Facilitating access to new funding opportunities Providing access to data, samples for testing and analysis, cutting edge technology, equipment and infrastructure Increasing opportunity for the cultural and professional development of Australian scientists. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia ASSA utilised ISL funding to initiate a Joint-Action Bilateral Collaborations Program with key international partners, including building new relationships with Australian Government priority countries and engaging early career researchers in mentoring relationships with established scholars. For both ASSA and AAH, the heightened level of international engagement also delivered benefits in terms of international recognition of Australian capabilities in the humanities, arts and social sciences. Other government programs Some of the other major government programs which the Learned Academies received support in the review period under the Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects (LASP) administered by the Australian Research Council, including Primary Connections, Science by Doing and STELR initiatives (through DEEWR) and the Australian Climate Change Science Program (ACCSP) administered by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE). The role of AAS in the development and implementation of the Primary Connections was a key initiative during the review period. This demonstrates the critical role that the Learned Academies can play in contributing to issues of national importance, noting that AAS is continuing to provide resources and training to Australian primary schools under this project. The Learned Academies have also undertaken research projects and prepared papers commissioned by various Australian Government agencies. All these additional activities complement the overall objective of the HERP and Supplementation funding to promote understanding of the importance of science and foster research and scholarship in any discipline. Summary HERP funding acts as an enabler for the Learned Academies and ACOLA to successfully apply for funding from other government and non-government sources to deliver additional activities that complement the overall HERP objectives and government priorities. Performance assessment The performance assessment principle relates to the assessment and measurement of the impacts of the activities supported by the funding arrangements. Under the conditions of the grant the Learned Academies and ACOLA are required to report each year on the activities undertaken and how the outcomes of the grant have met the program objectives. The annual report must also include an audited report confirming the grant was expended in accordance with the grant conditions. The Learned Academies and ACOLA were compliant in providing the requisite annual and financial reports over the review period. The annual and financial reports have met the reporting requirements for these programs and demonstrated that the Leaned Academies and ACOLA have successfully undertaken activities in all the areas that were specified in the financial agreements over the review period. The review noted that the conditions of grant under HESA-HERP do not currently include specific performance measures. The review further noted that the conditions of grant under HESA-HERP do not specify the format or direct content for annual reporting. As a result, there is considerable variation in the style and content of the Learned Academies’ annual reports to government. To be consistent with better practice in grant administration, as well as the government’s agenda to improve openness and transparency, DIISRTE is also encouraged to develop a consistent annual reporting template for the Learned Academies and ACOLA to assist in performance assessment. Further the development of the new annual reporting template should be a collaborative activity between the government, the Learned Academies and ACOLA. Strategic policy alignment The strategic policy alignment principle refers to whether the activity is consistent with the government’s strategic long term policy priorities, in particular to areas that help sustain economic growth through improved productivity and participation. The 2005 Review of the Australian Learned Academies and the National Academies Forum made 25 recommendations in total to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Learned Academies in deploying their unique capability in support of the full range of national long term policy priorities. Overall, the review panel is satisfied that the Learned Academies have made great progress in implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Review on the basis of the substantial increase in core funding that flowed from that review (Table 1). In particular, the 2005 review acted as a catalyst for the Learned Academies and ACOLA to more effectively and efficiently structure their governance and secretariat arrangements, and greatly enhance their external communication with a wider range of stakeholders. The 2005 review further recommended that ACOLA advance its role of facilitating interactions among the four Learned Academies. The current review notes the substantial progress made in this regard, with ACOLA now established and well placed to maximise these interactions. Indeed, this capability has recently been recognised by the government in the new PMSEIC arrangements. The 2005 review recommended that the Learned Academies and ACOLA ensure that appropriate strategic planning and policy processes were in place. Similarly, the current review makes a number of recommendations about the need to promote the strategic role of the Learned Academies and ACOLA. Notwithstanding a high volume of work in the public interest, the existence of the Learned Academies is relatively little known in the general community. The present review noted that the Learned Academies had made progress in implementing measures to improve the gender balance within their Fellowships and commends the Learned Academies initiatives in this area. The review also noted progress in engaging with other under-represented groups (such as ASSA’s Indigenous Post-Graduate Summer School and Mentoring Program initiative) and the incorporation of an Indigenous perspectives framework into AAS’ School Science Education programs, and efforts to build networks with early career researchers and recognise and work with new and emerging fields (such as the digital humanities and earth systems science). Such efforts are effective means for the Learned Academies to enhance their capabilities to provide advice to the government and the community on a wider range of issues in the short term and to elect Fellows from a more representative pool of researchers in the longer term. The Learned Academies have also demonstrated continued and enhanced engagement internationally, including a focus on engagement in Asia. The current review was satisfied with the progress of the Learned Academies in this area, noting that they have appropriately focused on building relationships in China and India consistent with government priorities. As noted above, the Learned Academies play a unique and critical role in promoting and fostering excellence in research, which itself underpins the national innovation system. The Learned Academies are also uniquely placed to provide independent, evidence based advice to government and contribute to a broad range of the government’s strategic short and long term policy priorities. The strategic value of the Learned Academies and ACOLA to the national innovation system derives partly from their capacity to initiate, guide, translate and harness research - basic , strategic and applied - and partly from their unique capacity to collaborate and connect among the various disciplines, with industry and internationally. For example, with the support of the Australian Government’s ACCSP, the AAS has worked to ensure Australia’s involvement in international science programs, such as the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and enabled Australian delegates and representatives to influence strategic planning and priority setting and increase collaborative research activities. Funding under the ACCSP has also supported the work of the National Committee for Earth System Science, including the consultative, interdisciplinary process to define this emerging field. The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) supported the development and extensive dissemination of the AAS’ highly regarded 2010 Climate Change Science: Questions and Answers publication. This report delivered to an important objective of DCCEE to inform debate and advance community understanding of climate change science. It also strongly complemented the overall objective of HERP to foster understanding of the importance of science. The review period covers a changing strategic landscape with the implementation of the outcomes of the review of the national innovation system and the development of national innovation priorities which are complemented by the national research priorities. Both directly and through the role of their individual Fellows, the Learned Academies have played a central role in the development of the national innovation system and there is, in general, close alignment of the Academies’ and appropriate national priorities. There would, however, be great benefit from continuing to expand structured mechanisms for interaction between the Learned Academies and key government, industry and academic figures in order to continue to provide independent, evidence based advice and thereby contribute to a broad range of the strategic longer term policy priorities. Restructure of NAF to ACOLA The Council is the successor to, and continuation of, the Association of the Learned Academies formerly known as the “National Academies Forum”. During 2008-09 the National Academies Forum (NAF) and the four Learned Academies, with the assistance of Supplementation funding, began taking extensive legal advice on the creation of an appropriate structure for the Australian Council of Learned Academies. This process involved nine months work, significant legal costs and considerable time input from the four Academies to achieve the desired outcome. The restructure of NAF to ACOLA was important as it has created a mechanism that facilitates the four Learned Academy’s interactions and collaboration and in turn has enhanced ACOLA’s role. The establishment of ACOLA, with a professional Secretariat, has resulted in a body which is dedicated (since March 2012) on a full-time basis to achieving the objectives of ACOLA, in the areas of policy advice, research and development. Rather than the ad hoc, volunteer approach that NAF was obliged to take, ACOLA continually coordinates those of the activities of the four Learned Academies that are appropriate to a multi-disciplinary perspective, it actively encourages research and scholarship across the disciplines and it helps to share information and resources. This coordinating role has meant that ACOLA is particularly well positioned to coordinate complex, cross-disciplinary projects such as the Research Workforce Strategy Careers in Research report (2011-12) and, most recently, the program of work entitled Securing Australia's Future: Building a Resilient Economy and Society, developed in consultation with the Chief Scientist. Courtesy of the Australian Council of Learned Academies. International Collaboration During the review period 2006 to 2010, the Australian Academy of the Humanities continued to be recognised internationally as the authoritative organisation for the humanities in Australia. It acts as the Australian correspondent for international award organisations such as the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy, and as a key point of contact, and broker, for international organisations such as the British Academy, the Chinese Academy of the Social Sciences and Italy’s Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei – that wish to explore collaborative activities with Australia’s humanities researchers. The Academy also participates in Australian Government delegations and bilateral meetings including the Australia-EU Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC). It is a member of the Union Académique Internationale (UAI) which supports numerous projects of a collaborative nature in a wide range of academic disciplines. Utilising HERP funding, the Academy administers an international research and exchange program for humanities researchers which involves targeted support for early-career researchers through the long-standing Humanities Travelling Fellowship (HTF) scheme. The Academy administered a suite of international programs under the International Science Linkages program when the scheme was opened to humanities researchers in 2009. The international collaboration fostered through the Academy’s strong bilateral relationships and researcher exchange programs has contributed to the national research interest by expanding the strategic knowledge of the societies and cultures of key interest to Australia, including near neighbours, trading partners, and the nations of historical importance to Australia. The Academy’s programs have directly supported the Australian research sector by providing vital opportunities for researchers, including early-career scholars, to access international expertise and research teams, and apply to international funding schemes. Over the review period, the Academy supported 83 international Fellowships and exchanges for humanities researchers through HERP program funding. In addition, between 2009 and 2011, the ISL HCA (Humanities and Creative Arts) program funded 49 international collaborative workshops and exchanges. Bilateral relationships developed during the Review period have laid strong foundations for Australian humanities researchers to collaborate with Chinese and European researchers through several high-level workshops and symposia currently in planning. Courtesy of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. Findings and Recommendations Overall the review concluded that the Learned Academies continue to be important national assets which provide a unique and valuable contribution to the pursuit of excellence in Australia. The value of the Learned Academies resides not only in their critical role in recognising, rewarding and promoting the pursuit of excellence per se, but also in their capacity to mobilise this talent to contribute independent, evidence based advice on issues of national and international importance. As such the Learned Academies are a valuable resource for governments and for the nation. The review makes a number of recommendations, each of which is discussed below under broad headings. Enhancing the strategic role Recommendation 1 The government continues to provide ongoing support to the Learned Academies and ACOLA to enable them to foster understanding of the importance of, and/or promote research and scholarship in, science, social science or the humanities in Australia for the national benefit. The Learned Academies make a unique contribution to the public good of Australia. The government should provide ongoing support to the academies and ACOLA for their core operations, to effectively harness the expertise of their Fellows in the national interest and to advance research and scholarship in all disciplines. The government should engage with the Learned Academies and ACOLA to enable them to use HESA-HERP as a platform from which they can identify other stakeholders (government and non-government) willing to collaborate on short and long term initiatives on issues of national and international importance. Recommendation 2 The government consider options to enhance the strategic role of the Learned Academies and ACOLA in providing the Australian Government with independent, evidence-based advice on issues of national importance. The review has demonstrated the strategic value of the independent, evidence-based advice that the academies provide to the government on issues of national importance. The Chief Scientist and PMSEIC have also recognised the strategic role of the academies. The government should consider whether there are other opportunities for the academies and ACOLA to enhance their strategic contribution to the public good of the Australian community. Recommendation 3 The Learned Academies and ACOLA meet individually with senior officials (at least twice a year) to exchange views on strategic priorities and emerging issues of national importance. The strategic role of and potential contribution by the Learned Academies and ACOLA would be enhanced if they had regular strategic meetings with senior government officials. These meetings would provide the Learned Academies and ACOLA with a platform to: discuss short and long term government, Learned Academy and ACOLA priorities provide advice about horizon scanning and fore-sighting activities explore linkages within the National Innovation System identify common interests, in particular, in multi-disciplinary issues provide clearer coordinated communication with government discuss opportunities for current and future government funding of activities. Recommendation 4 The Learned Academies maintain their strong connections with stakeholders, including the public sector, industry, non government organisations and international organisations. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should continue to build strategic networks and to identify or create collaborative opportunities. In particular, they should further develop their strategic plans, planning and communications tools. These provide the Learned Academies and ACOLA with the opportunity to highlight the critical issues they are focussing on and, in the case of multidisciplinary issues, where they are collaborating with other Learned Academies or other Australian and international organisations. The Learned Academies are ambassadors of Australian research and, to the extent that their resources permit, should expand their international activities in their pursuit of excellence. In increasing their international engagements, networking and outreach activities the academies could expand their capabilities and increase their contribution to Australia’s public good. Recommendation 5 The Learned Academies continue to make efforts to communicate their capabilities and activities which advise the community of the issues on which they can provide independent advice. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should develop publicly available statements that explain their capabilities and include examples of their achievements. These statements should include details of the strategic issues on which they can provide short or long term advice. The statements would be used to provide information or as a promotional tool to expand the range of organisations able to engage with them. ACOLA should also focus on providing a common point of access to the Learned Academies for outside organisations and individuals consistent with the HERP objectives. Recommendation 6 Within available resources, the Learned Academies maximise their domestic and international activities to enhance collaboration opportunities within and across disciplines. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should release a statement identifying key multidisciplinary issues on which they wish to build or strengthen existing domestic and/or international collaborative networks. This would: provide a clear signal to potential researchers and other potential stakeholders improve the opportunities that the Learned Academies and ACOLA have to promote collaborations on domestic and international research projects that could enhance both their visibility and reputation and increase their capacity to improve productivity in Australia. Encouraging researchers in all fields Recommendation 7 The Learned Academies continue to encourage the promotion of early and mid career researchers, including in new and emerging fields; and continue to engage with researchers in under represented disciplines or groups, including women and Indigenous researchers. The Learned Academies should continue to maintain their commitment to identify potential Fellows from under-represented groups (including women and Indigenous Australians) or emerging disciplines to enhance the academies and ACOLA’s capacity to provide informed advice on critical current and emerging issues. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should also develop and expand activities to engage with and promote early to mid career researchers, including facilitating collaboration between early-career researchers and Academy Fellows. Working together Recommendation 8 The Learned Academies should share experiences to continually improve their practices and procedures. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should maintain their commitment to best practice program administration and continuous improvement. The Learned Academies must ensure that they keep pace with the latest procedures and practices to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Recommendation 9 The government work with the Learned Academies and ACOLA to streamline reporting requirements, including consideration of relevant performance indicators. The government should work with the Learned Academies and ACOLA to develop a consistent and streamlined reporting framework (including relevant key performance indicators) that will enable effective assessment of their capabilities and delivery of government funding. The new reporting framework should be based on the Australian National Audit Office’s (ANAO) latest guide on Better Practice Grant Administration. Recommendation 10 Government support for ACOLA should continue to focus on managing and maintaining appropriate inter- and extra-academy communication linkages and encourage collaboration between the Learned Academies. The Learned Academies and ACOLA should consider how best to encourage further collaboration between the academies to promote a unified national vision. For example, the exciting new opportunity for ACOLA and the Learned Academies to undertake longer term research for PMSEIC complements the key objectives of HESA-HERP, including: enabling the academies and their Fellows to provide the government with advice and assistance on issues of national importance ACOLA promoting a unified national vision and helping to enhance interactions between the four Learned Academies without compromising their individual priorities or activities. Appendices A - Expenditure Review Principles The following principles are for application when reviews of government programs or activities are undertaken. When assessing programs or activities against the principles, evidence must be used to demonstrate whether or not they are the most appropriate, efficient and effective way to achieve the Government’s outcomes and objectives. The Principles 1 Appropriateness i) Activity is directed to areas where there is a role for government to fill a gap left by the market: a) social inclusion – government activity should address social inequity by redistributing resources in ways that improve opportunity and support for individuals, families and communities, allowing them to participate in the economy and society consistent with the government’s social inclusion agenda; or b) market failure – government activity should address market failures by improving social and economic welfare through improved resource allocation, where the benefits of government intervention outweigh its cost (including in the provision of public goods, for example, in environmental sustainability, national security and defence); and ii) 2 3 Activity is undertaken by the most appropriate level of Australian Government – whether expenditure is better undertaken by the government or another level of government. Effectiveness i) Activities to have clear and consistent objectives and be effective in achieving their objectives and represent value for money for the expenditure of taxpayer funds; and ii) Activity involving tax expenditures or financial instruments (for example, guarantees, loans or investments) to demonstrate why an outlay program is likely to be less effective in achieving the activity's objective(s). Efficiency i) Government programs to be administered and delivered in the most efficient way achievable, taking into account both short and long term economic and fiscal consequences; ii) Activity targeting market failure in one market to not unnecessarily reduce economic efficiency in other markets; and iii) Consideration to be given as to whether part or all of the cost of a government activity should be recouped directly from the beneficiaries of that activity. 4 Integration i) 5 Performance Assessment i) 6 Government agencies to be able to work together effectively to consistently deliver the government’s policy objectives within clearly defined lines of responsibility. Government activity to be subject to robust performance assessment and measurement. Strategic Policy Alignment i) Proposals to address whether the activity is consistent with the government’s strategic long term policy priorities, in particular to areas that help sustain economic growth through improved productivity and participation. B - Review Panel Members Martine Rodgers, Chair Simon Sedgley, Australian Research Council Scott Lambert, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Ex-officio - Dr Caroline Perkins, General Manager, Compacts and Coordination Branch, Research Division Ex-officio - Lisa Schofield, General Manager, Compacts and Coordination Branch, Research Division Ex-officio - Dr Nick Yazidjoglou, Acting General Manager, Compacts and Coordinations Branch Ex-officio - Toni Dam, Manager, Asia Pacific and Africa Section, International Science Branch Ex-officio - Dr Julie Glover, Manager, Strategic Partnerships Section, Compacts and Coordination Branch Ex-officio - Dr Alex Aitkin, Acting Manager, Strategic Partnerships Section, Compacts and Coordination Branch Ex-officio - Prue Torrance, Acting Manager, Strategic Partnerships Section, Compacts and Coordination Branch Ex-officio - Sharyn Sturgeon, Manager, Strategic Partnerships Section, Compacts and Coordination Branch. C - Reference Group Members Dr John Bell FTSE Professor Emeritus Sir Gustav JV Nossal AC CBE FRS FAA FTSE Professor Graeme Turner FAHA Professor John W Zillman AO FAA FTSE D - Terms of Reference Review of funding to the Learned Academies under the Higher Education Research Promotion Program (HERP) and Learned Academies – Supplementation Program Terms of Reference Australia’s four Learned Academies (the Australian Academy of the Humanities, the Australian Academy of Science, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering) are dedicated to promoting and enhancing the contribution of the humanities, social and natural sciences to the community through a range of activities, including by contributing to policy debates, awareness raising and education; establishing and maintaining relations with their counterparts overseas; and recognising the pursuit of excellence. The academies also provide the Australian Government with a valuable source of expert advice and comment on key issues, and are important partners in the development and implementation of research and innovation policy. The Australian Government provides funding to the academies and the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA), formerly the National Academies Forum, through the Higher Education Research Promotion program (HERP) under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA). Supplementary non HESA funding is also provided to the academies and ACOLA through the ‘Learned Academies – supplementation’ program that is due to end on 30 June 2012. The HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding programs are both administered by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR). The objective of the HESA-HERP and Learned Academies –supplementation programs is to foster an understanding of the importance of, or promote research and scholarship in science, social science or the humanities in Australia. Funding of the academies and ACOLA through HESA-HERP is subject to periodic review. The last review in 2005 resulted in a significant increase in public funding to these organisations. DIISR will undertake a review of the ongoing HESA-HERP and non ongoing Learned Academies - Supplementation funding to the academies and ACOLA taking into account the 2005 review findings. The outcomes of this current review will assist in informing the department on future funding levels for the academies and ACOLA. Scope of Review The review of Australian Government funding to the academies and ACOLA under HESAHERP and Learned Academies – supplementation will cover the period 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2010 and will: 1. assess the effectiveness of the use of HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding by the academies and ACOLA in supporting activities to foster an understanding of the importance of, or promoting research and scholarship in, science, technology, social science or humanities in Australia; 2. examine the effectiveness of implementation of the recommendations of the 2005 review of the Learned Academies; 3. examine whether HESA-HERP and Supplementation funding has assisted the academies and ACOLA to participate in other Australian Government programs; 4. identify the contribution to Australian Government objectives of activities funded under Learned Academies supplementation and the International Science Linkages programs; and 5. assess whether Government funding provided to the academies and ACOLA through the HESA-HERP and Learned Academies supplementation programs is being used in accordance with the Department of Finance and Deregulation Expenditure Review Principles (appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency, integration, performance assessment and strategic policy alignment). During the period 2010 to 2012 a review panel comprising representatives from the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR), the Australian Research Council and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations will undertake this review. The review panel will be lead by DIISR and assisted by an independent reference group comprising members with relevant expertise that will be formed to provide the review panel with advice on the review and the draft review report. The review report will be submitted to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in early 2012. E - International Science Linkages From 2001 to 2011, the International Science Linkages (ISL) program was the Australian Government’s leading mechanism for: increasing Australia’s participation in international research strengthening strategic partnerships between the Australian and international research communities facilitating access by Australian researchers to global technology and science facilities. The ISL program played an important role in supporting overarching government to government science and technology relationships. In addition, it fostered a range of science collaborations that could be sustained through ongoing funding from mainstream research funding programs. The program concluded as scheduled on 30 June 2011. In April 2011, the Australian Government announced a new Australia-China Science and Research Fund, to complement Australia’s largest bilateral science fund - the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund - as a platform for building long-term, collaborative science and research relationships in the Asian region. The Australian Government also continues to engage the Learned Academies to assist with identifying priorities and opportunities for international collaboration, including mobility programs with key partner countries. The Australian Government’s broader approach to supporting international science collaboration has involved implementing a number of significant changes to the funding policies of key research agencies and flagship programs to better deliver support for collaboration. For example, support for international collaboration is incorporated within all funding schemes of the Australian Research Councils’ National Competitive Grant Program. The National Heath and Medical Research Council offers awards to support international collaboration and assist Australian researchers to build their international capacity and competitiveness and build international networks. CSIRO’s Flagship Collaboration Fund is open to applications from overseas research organisations, and Cooperative Research Centres are encouraged to engage globally and co-invest with international partners. See http://www.innovation.gov.au/Science/InternationalCollaboration/ISL/Pages/AbouttheISL.aspx F - Consultations Academia Sinica, Taiwan Australian Academy of Humanities Australian Academy of Science Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Australian Association for the Digital Humanities (aaDH) Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian National University, Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Australian Research Council (ARC) British Academy Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Council of Australasian Museum Directors Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism Fellows of the Learned Academies The Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation (FEAST) Geoscience Australia Co-operation in Science and Technology (COST) Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) La Trobe University National Library of Australia Science and Technology Australia (STA) South Australian Department of Education and Children Services (SADECS) Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, Science and Technology division (TECO) UK Energy Research Centre University of Melbourne University of Western Australia Western Australian Government, Western Australia Chief Scientist G - Main elements of the Learned Academies and ACOLA’s strategic plans Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH) Vision A tolerant, vibrant and innovative public culture in Australia enriched and enabled by a thriving humanities sector. Mission The Australian Academy of the Humanities exists to advance knowledge of, and the pursuit of excellence in, the humanities in Australia for the benefit of the nation. Priorities/Objectives To promote and develop excellence in the humanities in Australia and abroad. Key Strategies The Academy supports excellent humanities research by holding public lectures and symposia; awarding travelling fellowships and the prestigious Max Crawford Medal to earlycareer researchers; and convening major special research projects. KPI/Actions advocate for appropriate research infrastructure to enable new avenues of inquiry and to support innovative research and teaching; facilitate access to international researchers and research material held overseas; promote the world-class work of Australia’s humanities scholars internationally; acknowledge excellence in the humanities through awards such as the Crawford Medal; host public events that showcase excellent humanities research; provide career development opportunities for promising early career scholars through mechanisms such as the Travelling Fellowships scheme; convene special research projects, particularly under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects scheme; and establish a new program of workshops and/or symposia to further advance humanities scholarship and understanding. To foster collegiality within the fellowship and provide a focal point for the wider humanities community in Australia. Key Strategies The academy recognises that the extraordinary breadth and accomplishment of its fellowship is its greatest asset, and seeks to involve the fellows and the wider humanities community in all of its activities. KPI/Actions present an annual symposium as the premier humanities scholarly event in Australia, in order to draw together the fellowship and the wider humanities community; organise other forums and events for discussion and debate, such as the named bequest lectures; maintain and expand its fellowship services; develop its avenues for engaging the participation of fellows and other humanities scholars in the work of the academy; ensure that distinguished humanities scholars are elected to the academy regardless of geography and institutional affiliation; maintain a watching brief on the configuration and relevance of its ten electoral sections, with a view to adding new sections if appropriate as well as reconfiguring or renaming existing sections; and consider ways of continuing to improve the gender balance within the academy. To support the dissemination of humanities research to demonstrate the value of the humanities to the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the nation. Key Strategies The academy helps to broaden access to excellent humanities research through its publication subsidies scheme for Australian researchers; producing publications that disseminate Australian humanities scholarship; collaborating with other organisations on joint publications; and promoting the achievements of the humanities across Australia through various media. KPI/Actions produce high-quality publications of occasional talks and papers from academy events and collaborate with other organisations on joint publications, taking advantage of new media and electronic dissemination; produce an annual journal to showcase the work of Australian humanities scholars to a broader public audience; seek to expand the subsidisation of scholarly publishing in the Australian humanities; seek to develop a public events program to demonstrate the relevance and value of the breadth of humanities scholarship; promote the achievements of the Australian humanities through different channels of the media; and plan an outreach program to schools, other educational organisations and the wider public. To providing independent and expert advice to improve public debate and public policy. Key Strategies The academy provides independent and expert advice to government, industry, the media, cultural organisations and community groups by: advocating for, and supporting, the appointment of humanities experts on select committees; providing reports and submissions to government reviews and inquiries; giving evidence at hearings on policy matters; providing ad hoc advice on matters within its expertise; and responding to solicitations for expert input. KPI/Actions support and develop its advisory role to government, industry, the media, cultural institutions and community groups; seek additional avenues for the provision of expertise, particularly in the media and to the public at large; and convene specialist committees on matters of particular public policy concern, inviting the participation of fellows and non-fellows willing to contribute their expertise, influence and skills. To providing leadership in the humanities community in Australia. Key Strategies The academy currently fills an important leadership role in the humanities in Australia, providing advocacy, policy development, independent advice, and strategic guidance to and on behalf of the community of humanities scholars in Australia. KPI/Actions convene symposia and workshops to engage humanities expertise, contribute to policy debate and formulation, and provide a focal point for the wider humanities community; monitor developments in the humanities in Australia and provide advice and leadership regarding potential opportunities and threats to the health of the disciplines in Australia; monitor international developments in the humanities to strengthen its capacities in current roles; and continue to address the particular needs of early-career scholars as the future leaders in humanities research and teaching. To advancing national cultural prosperity through collaboration with allied Australian organisations and other bodies. Key Strategies The academy currently works productively with peer organisations in Australia, as well as complementary bodies from other sectors, including many cultural institutions in Australia. Additionally, it provides leadership roles or supporting services for other allied bodies, such as the National Scholarly Communications Forum (NSCF) and the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA). KPI/Actions collaborate closely with the three other Learned Academies in Australia - the Australian Academy of Science (AAS), the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) and the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) towards common ends; collaborate with complementary bodies in Australia such as the Australian Chapter of the Consortium of Humanities Centres and Institutes (CHCI), the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, the Australasian Council of Deans of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (DASSH), the Australia-China Council, the Australia-India Council and the Council for the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS) to achieve common goals; engage with Australia’s cultural and collecting institutions as members of the wider humanities community and as institutions which both draw from and enable research in the humanities; and offer assistance where possible for organisations representing new and emerging humanities disciplines in Australia. To strengthening the humanities in Australia and abroad through collaborations with allied Australian organisations overseas. Key Strategies The academy plays an active role in its global organisation, the Union Académique Internationale (UAI), and is a significant participant in other international humanities networks. It fosters scholarly exchanges between humanities scholars of many nations through its bilateral exchange programs with other Learned Academies and scholarly organisations. It also serves as a key point of contact in Australia for international organisations that wish to explore collaborative activities with Australia’s humanities scholars. KPI/Actions contribute an Australian perspective to international debates and discussion regarding the humanities; develop its active membership of the UAI and other multilateral humanities initiatives; enhance its bilateral International Exchange Programs by seeking funding to forge more alliances with new organisations and to extend existing alliances; create new partnerships for its other international activities, such as workshop series and the Humanities Travelling Fellowships (HTF) scheme; develop ways of utilising its network of overseas fellows to enhance relationships; and strengthen its ties to its regional counterparts and other humanities bodies within the region. To supporting excellent teaching of the humanities at all levels of education in Australia. Key Strategies The academy recognises that humanities teaching and learning across all levels of education is vital to promoting understanding of our own nation and other societies and cultures. A humanities education gives students the imaginative, interpretive and critical tools to make sense of a complex world. Disciplinary expertise is essential to the development of humanities curricula and standards. KPI/Actions promote rigorous humanities training; contribute to national curriculum developments and policy, to strengthen the continuity between all levels of education, particularly between secondary and tertiary education; monitor and advise on issues of disciplinary capacity across the humanities, especially in core areas of identified need; develop a career development workshop program for early career scholars; seek to develop disciplinary support mechanisms for primary and secondary teachers of humanities subjects; and plan a program of educational and outreach activities for school students. Australian Academy of Science (AAS) Vision The vision of the academy, as Australia’s primary representative of natural and applied science is Excellence in Australian Science. Mission To champion Australian scientific excellence, to promote and disseminate scientific knowledge, and to provide independent scientific advice, for the benefit of Australia and the world. Priorities/Objectives Promote excellence in scientific research nationally and internationally. Key Strategies To identify priority areas of research, training and infrastructure support for discipline development in conjunction with the National Committees (NC) for Science. KPI/Actions Continued increase in level and effectiveness of activity: o Clarify role of national committees, increase resource availability and develop policy for allocation o Monitor composition of national committees, with regard to Fellows representation and diversity o Improve interaction between committees and council o Monitor NC activities with particular regard to evolution of discipline areas nationally and internationally. To provide career development and network building opportunities for young researchers. KPI/Actions Number of Young Scientists in programs. Feedback from surveys. o Continue to develop Think Tank and Frontier of Science programs o Create networks between awardees, event attendees, Science at the Shine Dome participants etc. o Establish mentoring program (including diversity of career options) o Examine international models for engagement with young scientists. To promote support for the best Australian scientific research, including facilitating access to international scientific organisations and programs. KPI/Actions Number of participants and feedback received. Level of funding from government and other sponsors. o Provide international exchange opportunities and travel awards o Organise international workshops to promote cooperation and access to technology o Evaluate International Science Linkages (ISL) programs and review memorandum of understanding (MOUs) in preparation for Academies review. To support the promotion of Australian science capabilities internationally and contribute expertise and leadership in regional and global collaborative networks. KPI/Actions Feedback from delegates and benefits to Australia. Recognition of and responses to Australia’s contributions o Ensure quality of and improve coordination between Australian delegates to International Council for Science (ICSU) and capture opportunities o Review ICSU membership and fee structures, taking into account value for money and performance o Contribute constructively to inter- academy programs and planning o Provide leadership in regional academies o Encourage reintroduction of Science Counsellors in overseas missions o Review corresponding membership provisions o Draw on Australian Diaspora. Develop and sustain a national scientific culture. Key Strategies To ensure that the academy and the Fellowship are fully representative of the best scientists in Australian and, through competitive awards, promote community recognition of the contributions of high quality science to health, well-being and national prosperity. KPI/Actions Election of outstanding Fellowship representative of the research community and the practice of science Enhanced accessibility and outreach Competitive field of applications for awards and enhanced profile for recipients Improved administrative funding base o On an ongoing basis, critically review and revise selection processes, membership structure and the Academy’s discipline groupings o Improve academy’s awareness of prospective Fellows o Upgrade Fellows database to enhance knowledge of expertise international activities and willingness to provide expert commentary o Encourage regional committees to identify prospective nominations and publicise local successes o Review funding structure and enhance profile of academy awards o Promote applications to international awards and publicise successes of Fellows and NC members. To support the teaching of science at all levels (primary, secondary and tertiary), elevate national standards, enhance teacher competencies and encourage students’ consideration of science and technology based careers. KPI/Actions Uptake of education materials that demonstrably make a difference o Engage in ‘Education Revolution’ initiatives, including close connections with Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) (previously National Curriculum Board), DEEWR and states and territories o Plan for future of Primary Connections to maximise national uptake and enable International expansion o Continue development of Science by Doing, including consideration of later secondary o Monitor positioning in context of Scientists in Schools (CSIRO) and STELR (ATSE) programs o Address the transitions from primary to secondary to tertiary education o Support the activities of Australian Mathematical Science Institute o Examine broadening of Science Education to include Business basics o Examine the provision of ‘science for non-scientists’ courses and materials. To provide forums for discussion and debate, publications and balanced, expert information on scientific issues of national significance and/or community concern. KPI/Actions Level of interest in events and outputs o Separate public awareness and education responsibilities o Mount topical public lecture series o Engage Science Communications Officer o Review funding for AAS sponsored conferences o Seek sponsorship and involvement from appropriate groups for forums and publications o Engage with other Learned Academies when scope of activity warrants o Maintain quality diversity and balance of Nova and seek sponsorship for new topics and support for updating o Produce 50th Anniversary book on Shine Dome o Upgrade academy website and maintain branding. Provide valued independent scientific advice to assist policy development and program delivery. Key Strategies To develop networks and alliances with relevant stakeholders to provide conduits for input of insights and expertise on scientific matters. KPI/Actions Engagement of relevant Ministers and officials Changes in policy emphasis Number of requests and take up of suggestions Third party adoption of academy objectives o Develop networks in Federal Parliament and relevant public service departments o Encourage regional committees to engage in state level activities o Create awareness of potential for science as policy tool in DFAT and AusAid o Use information from international activities to inform prioritisation of countries for collaboration o Quality nominations to key committees and selection panels o Develop alliances with other interest groups to build support for academy objectives. To provide authoritative advice on matters of research support, education and training, and science application to inform policy development and decision making. KPI/Actions Number of inquiries and/or government policies incorporating influenced by academy contributions Contribute to planning for workforce availability and research funding Monitor and provide input to reviews and negotiations. To monitor scientific developments in Australia and overseas to anticipate and communicate potential impediments and opportunities. KPI/Actions Effectiveness of issues identification o Identify trends (5-25 years’ time) horizon critical to development of science capability o Monitor for emerging issues that will require scientific technical advice to formulate policy response o Identify and access funding sources to support advisory activities. Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) Vision Australia's prosperity, national harmony and role as a responsible global citizen is underpinned by technological sciences and engineering. Mission ATSE fosters excellence in technological sciences and engineering to enhance Australia’s competitiveness, economic and social well-being and environmental sustainability. Priorities/Objectives Within priority topic areas, provide robust, independent, and valued technological sciences and engineering based advice to government, industry and community. Key Strategies Maintain a high profile in the communities to which it is relevant through proactive contacts with governments, industry, academia and the media. Maintain and extend ATSE’s reputation for delivering world quality expert advice and analysis on technological sciences and engineering that is relevant to Australia’s national interest. Enhance science communication to the public. KPI/Actions Engage the expertise of the Fellowship in an effective and efficient way – eg: better alignment of Forum and Divisions 2009 and ongoing) Ensure industry views are taken into consideration in formulating advice to governments Secure and enhance ATSE’s financial support from government as an outcome of this review of Learned Academies Enhance ATSE presence in Parliaments, including Parliamentary briefings, Science meets Parliament other opportunities to enhance ATSE's presence (eg Science Week) (2009/2010 and ongoing) Refocus the Forum topics to ensure ATSE contributions remain at the cutting edge of applied science, engineering and technology (SET) to inform policy and public debate Establish cooperative business models with industry associations/groups Conduct research projects and disseminate results Prepare submissions and other advice in key areas of mutual interest Measure impacts of products and quality of advice eg through feedback and surveys. Disseminate widely Academy publications, submissions, symposia and conference details to target audiences and publicise them through the ATSE web site, Focus magazine and elsewhere. KPI/Actions Launch interactive website (2009) and develop targeted distribution lists (ongoing) Develop and implement industry engagement strategy (2009 onwards) Develop and implement community engagement strategy (2009). Establish networks with key government decision makers. KPI/Actions Reinvigorate and extend our presence in Canberra (2009) Through the divisions, reinvigorate linkages and relationships in state and territory Governments (2009/10) Actively gather intelligence on national and international policies and priorities (now and emerging) to feed back into ATSE strategic direction/priority setting process (ongoing) Develop response to better focus government HASS policy relating to societal and culture issues for technology (2010 review). Achievement measures Government/ industry actively seek and adopt ATSE views; ATSE has an international and national recognition for high quality, influential products; the community is increasingly aware of the relevance of technological sciences and engineering to the future development and prosperity of Australia. Improve education in the technological sciences and engineering. Promote a greater interest in science, mathematics and technology related careers in schools. Actions Better promote ESE program outcomes (ongoing) Review and increase Divisional (state based) extracurricular programs on technological sciences and engineering and contribute to the coordination of these activities (2010, 2011) Promote initiatives and enhance coordination as appropriate to improve the quality of technological sciences, engineering and mathematics teaching (eg S&T Challenge, other activities) Enhanced interface with science teachers in Australia (2009). Ensure the adequacy of science and engineering education and training in meeting the future needs of employers, giving particular attention to science and mathematics teaching in schools. Actions Establish STELR as a sustainable element of the national curriculum by 2012 by securing funding to: develop pilot (2009); expand national pilot to all states and territories (2009/10); expand curriculum vertically to senior years (2011). Contribute to policy development in the higher education (HE) sectors through submissions, projects, and studies, as required. Actions The Education Forum will ensure constructive debate in science, engineering and technology (SET) Education in Australia through o Review of Government's response to the Bradley Review in relation to technological sciences and engineering in the higher education sector; (2009/10) o Maintain cooperative relationships with relevant professional bodies eg. Tripartite Group on Engineering 2009; Business-Higher Education Round Table 2009) o Work with industry and government to identify skills needs education requirements for new emerging technology o Promote the role of commercialisation of research within HE sector. Achievement measures Increasing enrolment in, and uptake in tertiary courses in technological sciences and engineering subjects Technological sciences and engineering recognised by community as relevant to daily life; see increase in new “green” jobs creation and workforce education planning; enhanced retention within TSE disciplines and increased number of postgraduate students in technological sciences and engineering. Education Forum overview the performance of ATSE in delivering its strategic direction. Promote technological sciences and engineering linkages globally and foster technology transfer/ innovation. Participate actively in the work of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) and develop relationship with sister Academies internationally. Enhance the utility of the National Academies Forum. Actions Undertake a strategic review of ATSE engagement in the work of CAETS via ISG and develop tactics to influence the international debate on Australia’s key topics such as energy (2009 and ongoing) Build key relationships with international academies including MOUs and technology transfer initiatives Develop new strategic plan and management structure for NAF so as to better address social, cultural, scientific and technological interfaces of national issues (2009) Ensure the successful funding outcome of the NAF review 2010. Support international agricultural research and capacity building. Actions Support and promote the work of the Crawford Fund (ongoing). Remain a key partner for the Government in its international Science and Technology programs including via DIISR and DFAT. Actions Secure ongoing funding agreement with DIISR for the International Science Linkage Science Academies Program (ISL-SAP) (2010) Continue to deliver high- quality program outcomes under ISL-SAP (2009, 2010) and DFAT Councils (India, China, Korea, Japan) Enhance international science and technology policy advice to government through: better stakeholder relationship (2009 ongoing) o watching brief on OECD Global Science Forum (2010) o operational linkages with sister academies (2010) o better use of ISL outputs to inform governments and industry. Facilitate linkages between industry and universities and/or research organisations. Facilitate technology transfer both nationally and internationally on key priority activity areas of ATSE (eg Topic Forums, projects, workshops, delegations and SMO conferences) Enhance the uptake of S&T courses by international students by promoting excellence in Australian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications Establish a high level Innovation Think Tank to identify national challenges and technology transfer and development opportunities (2009/10). Achievement measures Renewed and enhanced 3 year International Science Linkage-Science Academies Program contract; strategic MOUs and cooperation agreements with other academies. Champion excellence in technological science and engineering. Elect Australia’s most eminent technological scientists and engineers as Fellows. Eminent industry and government technological scientists and engineers are well represented as Fellows. Actions Establish and maintain a robust membership nomination and selection process that reflects the key areas of ATSE technology excellence it seeks in the future, including industry, academia, government and research Harness the expertise of the Fellows through increased participation in ATSE activities by changing the ways in which Fellows can engage, eg: short sharp engagement; focused activities; better support from the ATSE office, etc 2009 and ongoing Explore mechanisms to promote the obligation of new Fellows to participate in ATSE activities. Recognise exceptional achievement in the application of technological sciences and engineering. Actions Support and promote the national prominence of the ATSE Clunies Ross Awards as the only national award event that celebrates the confluence of technological scientific and engineering excellence with business acumen and success (2009) Explore the development of a recognition program for young achievers (2010). Support the expansion of both public and privately funded high quality technology oriented research in Australia. Actions Through the work of the ATSE Assembly, Forums and division and priority project areas routinely include the identification of Australia’s research needs and gaps and promote this to government, funding bodies, industry, and research organisations (ongoing). Achievement measures ATSE Fellows widely recognised as leading experts and high contributors in their fields (as recognised by peers and degree to which advice is sought and accepted), ATSE’s standing in the community enhanced through recognition of the excellence of its Fellows ad their work; ATSE is influential in shaping the research agenda in national priorities in technological science and engineering research and promoting innovation. Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) Vision The integrated application of the best thinking in Australian arts, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and technology, to assist the achievement of a healthy, creative, sustainable, democratic, cosmopolitan and productive nation. Mission To provide a forum that brings together great minds, broad perspectives and knowledge, to help solve complex societal issues for the benefit of Australia’s social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing. Priorities/Objectives •To promote policy advice to the wider community and contribute to public debate. •To enhance the prestige and visibility of the four Learned Academies. Key Strategies Raise public awareness and understanding of the contributions that the arts, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and technology make to Australia’s well being. KPIs Distribute 500 copies of ACOLA brochure nationally to key stakeholders and potential clients. Create a group of young associates from emerging researchers and scholars. Develop an interactive website function. To deliver policy advice to government on specific issues. To advocate to senior decision makers matters consistent with the objects of the council on issues of major national policy. To promote an appreciation of the value of national research and scholarship. To promote closer relations among the four Learned Academies. Key Strategies Promote mechanisms that facilitate the linkage of research and analysis to policy formulation and its application in societal practice. KPIs Help develop an expanded role for ACOLA in relation to the proposed refreshed PMSEIC. Continue to deliver the LASP Sustainability Project (phase 3 and 4). To encourage research and scholarship across the disciplines. Key Strategies Encourage fresh, cross-sector ways of thinking about innovation and development and its relationship with the economy and society, as part of achieving a productive and sustainable Australia. KPIs Host a seminar for emerging researchers and scholars to further extend the LASP project multidisciplinary research agenda. Continue to deliver the Growth Project (phase 2). To promote administrative efficiency through sharing information and resources. Key Strategies Identify ways to better harness the perspectives of all disciplines to solve complex issues. KPIs Link the role of emerging researchers and scholars in ACOLA projects to the Research Workforce Strategy. Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) The Australian Academy of Social Sciences strategic plan is expected to be finalised in midAugust 2012. It will then be taken to the Annual General Meeting in November 2012 for formal adoption by the academy.