ACDS calls for an enabling approach to university research specialisation Posted in News, Research on September 8, 2026 by Sue White. The Australian Council of Deans of Science (ACDS) has lodged its submission to the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) consultation on research requirements for the ‘Australian University’ category. ACDS supports giving universities greater flexibility to specialise in research where they choose, while preserving institutional autonomy, research-led and research-informed education, and Australia’s overall scientific capability. Our central message is that specialisation should be enabled, not prescribed. The submission highlights five priorities: Sustainable research capability – assess enduring capability in people, infrastructure, investment and research pipelines, not simply current research performance. Research-informed education – protect the research–teaching nexus while allowing universities to teach more broadly than their areas of research specialisation. University autonomy – allow institutions to determine their own research priorities and specialisations, supported by principles and incentives rather than regulatory prescription. National and regional capability – avoid excessive concentration or loss of scientific capability by supporting collaboration, shared infrastructure and distributed research capacity. Careful implementation – provide sufficient time and stability for universities to adapt without unnecessarily disrupting research capability, careers or student pathways. Read the full ACDS Submission.
