Latest news with #LukeSheehy
Scoop
25-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Australian And New Zealand Universities Join Forces To Negotiate Landmark Open Access Deals
Joint media statement by Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), Universities Australia and Universities New Zealand—Te Pōkai Tara: Universities across Australia and New Zealand are teaming up to strike a better deal on open access research publishing, in a bold new approach to negotiations with the world's largest academic publishers. Led by the Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL), Universities Australia and Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara, the sector will take a unified position in upcoming negotiations with Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, and Taylor & Francis. The moves come amid mounting pressure on university budgets and growing concern about the rising cost of open access publishing. The sector is now pursuing new agreements that are more sustainable, transparent and equitable, and deliver better value for the public investment in research. 'These are crucial negotiations for the future of research in our regions,' said Professor Iain Martin, Vice Chancellor of Deakin University and Chair of the sector's new oversight committee. 'Our universities are committed to making research openly accessible to maximise its impact for the communities we serve. The negotiations offer an important opportunity to establish new models that align more closely with the needs of our sector and the public who fund and benefit from our work.' The cross-Tasman initiative will be overseen by a senior academic advisory group, comprising university leaders and university librarians from both countries. The group will ensure that any new agreements reflect the changing needs of researchers and institutions alike. Luke Sheehy, Chief Executive of Universities Australia, said the move reflects the sector's broader commitment to collaboration and reform. 'Universities are stepping up to find smarter, more sustainable ways to support open access. By negotiating together, we're giving ourselves the best shot at securing a fairer deal for our researchers - and better value for public investment,' he said. 'Much of the research done by universities in Australia and New Zealand is funded by taxpayers. We have obligations to make sure that the knowledge we generate is widely and freely available and not hidden behind paywalls,' said Dr Bronwen Kelly, Deputy Chief Executive of Universities New Zealand – Te Pōkai Tara. "Where making the knowledge we generate widely available is best done by working through global publishers, we have obligations to make sure that we do this in a way that ensures the best value for taxpayers.' CAUL Content Procurement Committee Chair Hero Macdonald said the joint approach marks a pivotal shift for the sector. 'This new approach reflects our sector's shared commitment to achieving a sustainable, fair, equitable and truly open future for the region's research', Hero said. Angus Cook, Director of Content Procurement at CAUL, said the collaboration was designed to drive better outcomes for both researchers and institutions. 'This isn't just about cost, it's about securing fair access, improving transparency and supporting a healthy publishing ecosystem that works for our region. Negotiations will continue throughout 2025, with new agreements beginning from January 2026. About CAUL The Council of Australasian University Librarians (CAUL) is the peak collegiate body for the leaders of university libraries in Australasia and Oceania. It facilitates connection and collaboration and optimises its collective knowledge, expertise, and resources to achieve strategic outcomes at scale in priority areas for the university library sector. CAUL is the trusted voice of the university library sector in the region. About UA Universities Australia is the voice of Australia's universities. As the peak body for the sector, we advocate the vast social, economic and cultural value of higher education and research to Australia and the world. On behalf of our 39 member universities, we provide expert policy advice, analysis and statistical evidence, and media commentary on higher education. We also make submissions, develop policy across the sector, represent Australia's universities on government and industry-appointed bodies and partner with university sectors in other countries to enable bilateral and global collaborations. About UNZ Universities New Zealand—Te Pōkai Tara is the sector voice for all eight universities, representing their collective views nationally and internationally, championing the quality education they deliver, and the important contribution they make to New Zealand, economically, socially and culturally.
The Guardian
07-06-2025
- 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.
