Executive Summary: Pursuit of Excellence - Department of ...

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