Push to quantify social impact of science goes global
Australia is preparing to join a worldwide push to map the wider social returns on investments in science.
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Business + Economy — Research and News
Budget relief for unis, but financial strain lies ahead
Anxiety gave way to relief across universities last night after Labor handed down a higher education budget that maintained…
Efficiency tax will stifle scientific work at CSIRO
A $23-million “efficiency dividend” on administrative costs at CSIRO will inevitably affect the quality of scientific research…
Make gender targets a job measure for managers
Australian businesses should set managers “challenging gender targets” and hold them accountable for the proportion of women…
Wiki founder to build open access site for UK research
The British government has enlisted the services of Wikipedia in a push to make all taxpayer-funded academic research from…
Bosses at ‘self-focused’ firms more likely to massage books
Manipulation in accounting is more common in firms where the work culture promotes self-interest, according to a joint study…
Google boss: let internet flourish to boost productivity
The annual $27-billion boost to Australia’s productivity from internet innovation is at threat from policymakers who would…
Ex-Treasury boss Ken Henry to head public policy body
Former Treasury boss Ken Henry is headed to the Australian National University, where he will lead a new public policy institute…
Patently Australian: CSIRO settles suits over Wi-Fi
Australia’s national science agency will receive $220m after settling litigation against three US companies to license the…
Expat workers have cost Australia $450 million in HECS
Australian university graduates who move overseas to work for long periods have deprived the country of about $450 million…
Informed views on topical questions: The Conversation’s first year
The Conversation has “provided an avenue for academics to present an informed view of topical questions” and has become a…
$98 million needed to lift study of Indonesian over next decade
The study of Indonesian has sunk to “crisis levels” in Australian universities, according to a government-funded review that…
Fiscal miscreants to face sanctions, as Greek deal teeters
Europe this week has voted for tough new fiscal rules aimed at reining in high deficits, as world economic leaders continue…
UniSuper benefit warning sparks demand for full disclosure
UniSuper’s admission that a superannuation scheme formerly guaranteed by employers, the universities, is underfunded has…
Carr loses research portfolio to Evans in cabinet shuffle: expert responses
Kim Carr has lost the research portfolio to Chris Evans in today’s cabinet shuffle announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard…
Global climate change pact in Durban: expert comment
After a fortnight of talks, The Durban Climate Change Conference has ended with an agreement that a treaty should be developed…
Need to smarten up again: dark side of the mining boom
The mining boom is gaining momentum with massive investment either underway or slated but the benefits to Australia have…
Price on carbon as Clean Energy Bill passes Senate: expert reactions
The Gillard Government’s Clean Energy Bill enters legislation after today passing the Senate 36 votes to 32. Voting ‘no…
Expert views of Occupy Wall Street
The Occupy Wall Street protests that started in New York have proved contagious. Sit-ins and attempted occupations have spread…
Carbon price bill passes lower house: the experts respond
The Gillard government’s carbon pricing legislation passed the House of Representatives by 74 votes to 72, and is expected…
US economists win Nobel Prize for cause and effect theories
Two US economists have been named the 2011 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics for their research on how economies are…
Times Higher Education ranks University of Melbourne Australia’s best but experts urge caution
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings has named the University of Melbourne Australia’s best university, but…
Apple founder Steve Jobs dead
Apple founder Steve Jobs, widely seen as one of tech industry’s most influential figures, has died after a battle with cancer…
More Australians saving but households still smarting from GFC
The proportion of Australians saving their pennies has risen since June, but householders still have not recovered completely…
Talkin' bout my generation: young academics on why so many eye uni exit
Nearly 40% of academics under 30 and one-third of staff aged 30-39 years plan to leave the Australian higher education sector…