Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under growing pressure to address the recent move by the Trump administration, which has cut funding to seven Australian universities. The universities affected include the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Technology Sydney, University of NSW, Charles Darwin University, Macquarie University, and UNSW.

The funding cuts follow requests from US agencies for Australian researchers to justify their ongoing access to American research grants. These surveys included questions about whether researchers had received funding from China and whether their universities acknowledged only two genders.

This development is part of Donald Trump’s broader “America First” agenda, which aims to reduce US involvement in foreign research partnerships. Australia’s research community, which relies heavily on US funding, could face a significant financial blow, potentially losing up to $600 million in research opportunities.

The Australian Academy of Science’s chief executive, Anna-Maria Arabia, has urged the Albanese government to take swift action. She stressed that the prime minister should call an emergency meeting of the National Science and Technology Council to assess the full impact of the funding cuts. Arabia warned that failure to respond could harm Australia’s scientific progress and its ability to collaborate globally.

The cuts highlight the increasing complexities of international research funding, with Australia now needing to explore new strategies to protect its research landscape and avoid long-term damage.

Source: Skynews