As the dust settles after the flurry of activity in Canberra from the Budget and subsequent ministerial announcements, we can report the outcome for AURIN. In short, we are told that AURIN will be receiving approximately $18.9 million over a five-year period. The announcement covers the years from the current 2017/18 financial year until 2021/23.
AURIN will continue receiving current operational funding for the next four financial years with additional capital funding allocated in three of the five years. The existing annual grant that covers both operating and capital purposes, $2.18 million in 2017/18, will increment for cost increases and is expected to total $11.45 million from July 2017 to June 2022. This is now supplemented by an additional $7.4 million for capital investments, which will be funded across three years: 2017/18, 2020/21 and 2021/22
This five-year commitment is a welcome 65% increase over the previous base sum; this additional funding is a strong indication of our value and relevance to national research capabilities. We look forward to investing this additional funding in our data and analytical capabilities across Australia, to bolster our role as the leading agent in supporting evidence based decision making for the sustainable future of Australia’s towns and cities.
Details of the additional capital funding was announced as part of the Government’s response to the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, including its Research Infrastructure Investment Plan. The response can be found at the following link: https://www.education.gov.au/government-response-2016-national-research-infrastructure-roadmap