Fred Hilmer, Vice-Chancellor of the University of NSW Champions Research. (October 1, 2007)

Fred Hilmer, University of New South Wales vice-chancellor since June last year was Chief Executive Officer of John Fairfax Holdings Limited from 1998 - 2005. Before joining Fairfax he was Dean and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the University of New South Wales.

Research, certainly scientific research, wouldn't seem to be a significant part of his intellectual environment but in an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald he opens with: "It's been estimated that for every dollar spent on research in Australia there is a fivefold return on that investment to the nation. The enormous benefits of research to the nation are obvious, whether they be in the areas of health, climate change, renewable energies or social policy, or meeting the challenges of an ageing population. Much of that research is conducted in Australia's universities."

But the former Dean and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management doesn't let it rest there.

"Any assumption that excellence in research is somehow irrelevant to the quality of teaching at our universities, or may even come at the expense of the student experience and student outcomes, is wide of the mark."

And he brings up the matter that the on costs of research are only partially defrayed by federally funded research grants; a "gift that keeps on taking".

The former Fairfax executive also points out that federal research fellowships need to be augmented by the universities "to meet enterprise agreements, let alone attract international talent."

After alluding to the universities' crumbling infrastructure he chides our political servants telling them: "Aside from the obvious benefits flowing from research and development, funding is not a gift, and certainly not a luxury, even in the narrowest definition of higher education," and concludes, "...competitive grants through the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council should be expanded, along with associated funding for research infrastructure. And we need targeted block funding to universities for research, reflecting a mix of national priorities and local institutional strengths."

Perhaps Mr Hilmer, might consider going onto talk-back radio, even getting his own talk-back spot to spruik for the cause -- it certainly needs an effective advocate, and so far there are strong indications that short opinion pieces in the nation's broadsheets haven't been all that successful.