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The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Australian universities urge Albanese to join New Zealand in $170bn Europe fund amid Trump attacks on education
Australian universities are urging the Albanese government to join New Zealand in a $170bn Europe research fund amid US president Donald Trump's sweeping crackdown on higher education and international students. Universities Australia's executive officer, Luke Sheehy, travelled to Brussels this week to meet representatives from the European Commission and the Australian ambassador, Angus Campbell, to discuss the possibility of joining Horizon Europe. The seven-year scientific collaborative research fund, with a budget of €95.5bn ($168bn), has 20 non-European partners – including New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada – but the Australian government has so far been reluctant to join. Industry insiders have attributed the government's reluctance to potential costs. New Zealand will pay €19m ($33m) over five years to be part of the program. The EU is drawing up strategies for the next seven-year funding cycle, due to begin in 2028, with a proposal expected to be announced mid-year. About €36bn ($63bn) is still available to the end of 2027. In comparison, Australia's total annual spend on research across all sectors is less than $40bn. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Sheehy said in a rapidly changing global environment, association with the body would give Australian researchers access to a mega-fund and support international collaboration on key sectors, including health and the environment. 'Growing geopolitical uncertainties are threatening to reshape our existing research alliances and we must adapt to remain ahead of the game,' he said. 'If we're serious about building a prosperous and productive economy, we need a seat at the table, particularly in a changing and more complex global environment.' The trade minister, Don Farrell, is in Paris this week restarting negotiations on a trade deal with the EU. Sheehy 'strongly encourage[d]' him to make Australia's involvement in Horizon Europe a focus of conversations. 'There is a strong appetite in Europe to have Australia come on board,' Sheehy said. 'This would remove the biggest roadblock for Australian researchers and scientists working with their European and other counterparts around the world. It's mutually beneficial. 'For what is a relatively modest investment, our best and brightest would gain access to billions of dollars in potential funding to take their work to the next level.' The higher eduction sector has closely focussed on Horizon Europe since the Trump administration was accused of possible 'foreign interference' in Australia's universities in March, pausing funding for programs at more than six universities. Researchers who receive US funding were sent a questionnaire asking them to confirm they aligned with US government interests and promoted administration priorities – including avoiding 'DEI, woke gender ideology and the green new deal'. Australia's Group of Eight CEO, Vicki Thomson, wrote to then-industry minister, Ed Husic, earlier this year on behalf of its member universities and the European Australian Business Council (EABC) CEO, Jason Collins, urging Australia to associate with the research fund. It has prepared a brief for the ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, at his request. Thomson, also the EABC deputy chair, has lobbied the government to join Horizon Europe for more than a decade. She will be meeting with stakeholders for negotiations in the next fortnight as part of an EABC delegation to Europe. Thomson said association with Horizon Europe was 'critical' to boosting productivity and providing essential buffers against negative global trends. 'Like trade, changes to the global research funding environment are also sending shocks around the world,' she said. 'The US is withdrawing from international research collaboration through the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and other agencies as well as defunding research in diversity, equity and inclusion. 'In the face of this, it is imperative that Australia maintains and extends international research collaboration through formal association with Horizon Europe.' The Australian Academy of Science president, Prof Chennupati Jagadish AC, also wants Australia to join the lucrative research fund, pointing to a possible research vacuum in the face of an increasingly unstable US. In April, the body announced a new global talent attraction program to capitalise on academics disfranchised by the Trump administration's research cuts. Americans represent 40% of collaborators in Australian physical sciences publications – including observational systems relied on for cyclone tracking capability and onshore mRNA vaccine manufacturing. Jagadish said the government must 'immediately act to diversify risk' by expanding international research collaborations, focusing on Horizon Europe. The industry minister, Madeleine King, was approached for comment.
Scotsman
25-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Rare tuna fishing licence given to Scottish boat with eyes on Tokyo market
Bluefin tuna have been making a comeback to British waters Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A skipper from a Scottish island is one of a select few in the UK to have been granted a licence for tuna fishing. Angus Campbell, from Harris, is one of 15 fishers to be issued a commercial licence to catch bluefin tuna, which are showing a 'heartening resurgence', according to the Marine Conservation Society. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Only a handful of licences, which last a year, are given out by the UK Government's Marine Management Organisation (MMO) due to the need to protect and conserve the species, which has previously been in decline due to overfishing. Angus Campbell pictured left with fellow fisherman from Devon, Andy, onboard Harmony | Katharine Hay For 2025, the UK has some 66 tonnes of bluefin tuna quota, of which 45 will be shared among the licence holders. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Campbell's threshold of three tonnes will be landed at Leverburgh, to the south of the island, which will open up fishing to the west of the Hebrides where he said the tuna are of a higher quality. The skipper had previously been restricted to Stornoway, on the east of Lewis, when he was given a licence two years ago. This, in turn, will make the catch more marketable to high end customers in the UK, but also markets in Tokyo where bluefin is highly sought after, he said. Angus Campbell's boat, Harmony, which is based out of Leverburgh | Katharine Hay Mr Campbell, who has held a catch-and-release licence for bluefin, which helps with research projects on the migratory fish, said he is 'very excited to be back in commercial fishing.' He said: 'Landing at Leverburgh gives us the opportunity to work out west and we are hoping to get a better quality of fish than was accessible when we could only land at Stornoway. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It has to be of very good quality to send it abroad. We are looking at local and UK markets and have plans set up to go as far as Tokyo. We had it all set up last year but unfortunately didn't get a licence.' Mr Campbell, who also runs Kilda Cruises, operates the vessel 'Harmony' which can carry up to 12 passengers and is also used for angling trips. Demand for licences from around the UK was described as 'exceptionally high.' While bluefin have made a comeback to UK waters, particularly the English Channel and the southwest coast of England, catching them for commercial purposes is limited for conservation reasons. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Although no official list of the fresh round of license holders has been published yet, it is thought that Mr Campbell's is the only one in Scotland. Duncan Macinnes, secretary of the Western Isles Fishermen's Association, said the licence for Leverburgh will 'give flexibility to the grounds where we know larger tuna are migrating to.' He added: 'We have been saying for years that there is potential for a well-managed tuna fishery in the Outer Hebrides which could have a real economic impact. 'This is an important step towards that and the fact that landings can take place at Leverburgh as well as Stornoway is a really significant development'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Conservation efforts and changes in climate have brought bluefin back to UK waters. In 2023, the UK Government gave the greenlight for some fishing boats to be given one year-long commercial licences as part of a trial to evaluate the sustainability of a small scale bluefin tuna fishery.
