Dr Ian Harper and research assistant Ms Jenny Leenders. Addressing an open forum attended by about 150 staff, ARC chair Professor Vicki Sara emphasised that the ARC wanted to fund new ideas. She described what she saw as the critical role government should play in supporting the fundamental base of knowledge and expertise. While not pre-empting the government Green Paper on research to be released shortly, Professor Sara stressed that the government had a real responsibility to provide a creative environment in which academics could generate knowledge.
Basic research drives the motor of the new economy.
According to Professor Sara, the two major goals for the ARC are to maintain the foundation of basic research and to ensure the flow of knowledge, skills and people between universities, industry and research agencies, both nationally and internationally. She emphasised the need for the ARC to have strong partnerships with universities, and saw the visit to Monash as an important way of gaining feedback from the academic community. Joined by three of the four chairs of the ARC committees, Professor Michael Barber, Professor Jim Piper and Professor Ross Milbourne, Professor Sara and her colleagues provided further information about ARC grants in the open forum and then held informal discussions with interested staff in four separate sessions. Applications for the various ARC programs close between March and June each year. Further information and assistance is available from the Monash University Research Grants and Ethics Branch.