CSIRO Push for External Finance Initiative

In an effort to become more dependent on external financing, Australia’s top scientific body, The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), has launched a major working paradigm to encourage business collaborations.

Over 200 top employees were informed by the CSIRO that there was a chance to “make some significant fundamental changes.”

The plan, titled “New proposed structures for Growth” identified “accelerate commercialisation” as CSIRO’s main strategic goal for the next decade.

One esteemed scientist claimed that the strategy would cause issues for even the most fundamental research, for example crucial studies on climate change would need to gain 70% external financing. “Otherwise, I won’t get it past my managers for approval”.

Without alerting its international collaborators or the newly appointed federal minister forthese industries, Ed Husic, CSIRO unexpectedly terminated a study that was supposed to go on for 10 years. This may have assisted in predicting the next El Nio or La Nina event. The federal minister believes that they should have supported smaller local businesses rather than “renting out its brand” to larger gas firms.

An ex-CSIRO scientist who worked on a lot of the contracts explained that taxpayers frequently and unknowingly funded businesses that had the resources to complete it on their own. Telstra, Tassal, Rio Tinto, and Fortescue are a few of these.

“The research questions are driven by the client, which means that the results are very skewed toward the outcomes that the client wants, not driven by what’s good for the country, nor even what objectively drives science forward.”

The employee alleged that works that may result in unfavourable conclusions were avoided.

However a rep for CSIRO dismissed the validation of this opinion, claiming it neglected to provide “appropriate recognition of the work being delivered by the scientists of the CSIRO who are making breakthroughs and working every day for the benefit of the nation”.

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