Australian universities have been warned off any sort of research relationship with Iran, North Korea or Russia, as the federal government moves to strengthen its veto powers over university collaborations.
A Senate estimates committee on 5 June heard that “non-core” agreements between Australian universities and their overseas counterparts may come under the purview of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme, which empowers the minister for foreign affairs to strike out international deals.
Specifically, transnational education arrangements – such as joint degrees, Australian degrees taught elsewhere, programmes that start overseas and finish in Australia, and foreign branch campuses – may fall under the scheme’s scope. These arrangements already require approval from the higher education regulator Teqsa, under an “integrity bill” that passed parliament late last year.
The committee heard that “informal arrangements between researchers” may also be subject to Foreign Arrangements Scheme approval, under legislative amendments expected over the next month.
The federal education department has also advised Australian universities against research collaborations with institutions in Iran, North Korea and Russia. The department said it had maintained “weekly contact” with Sydney’s Macquarie University over a joint PhD supervision programme with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
