gillard govt to slash medical research, page-9

I'm a medical research student who is alsmost qualified, that is, I've almost finished my PhD. I can assure you that if these proposed cuts to the NHMRC go ahead we will lose future discoveries that not only would have generated income and investment in Australia, but would also have helped countless people. It could be the idea that spawns the next PRR, the next gardasil, hell even the next viagra that is lost.

The proposed cuts will not save a huge amount of money in the grand scheme of things - 400 million (that's only 1.33 times the current market capitalisation of PRR today) - but will greatly affect the course of current and future research in this country. I may be biased, but I'm confident there are other sources of 'savings' that can be made that won't have as much of a detrimental impact on the future of our health.

It is already extremely competitive to receive funding for research work, especially for those just starting out. These cuts will only exacerbate this problem, and many people will simply leave the industry early rather than deal with the mountains of paperwork, applications, pressure and rejections. Australia has a lot of metal in the ground, but it also has a lot of shining ideas in the minds of its scientists. Unfortunately, we don't seem to care much about tapping that resource.

These cuts will have minimal impact on PRR, but I guarantee that many of its scientists were trained through NHMRC funding and that some of the background research to make their products possible was discovered through NHMRC-supported research. That is the purpose of publically funded academic research: to train scientists and to make fundamental contributions to basic science. Without it, the pool of resources at the fingertips of biotechs is depleted.

To stay on the topic of PRR, about two years ago I had some money to invest and came across Prima Biomed. I thought their technology was awesome - ballsy even - but if it worked it they'd be onto something great.

As it stands today, it is the most financially sensible decision I have ever made. If I sold my parcel now I would have a deposit for my first property. This is absolutely life changing for me, and I will be forever grateful to all those involved in Prima for giving me a leg up in life. I will still hold for the immediate future though, as I believe there is much more potential in this company and its product. Also, it usually helps to have full time employment when applying for home loans. If the NHMRC budget is cut, our already highly competitive job market will be all the more so.

So if you think the government should not be so myopic as to cut off at the knees an industry that generates a great revenue stream for the country, but also genuinely helps those in need worldwide please visit www.discoveriesneeddollars.org and go to the Get Involved section, write to the politicians involved and make others aware of this ridiculously short-sighted plan.