Latest rundown of higher education

Hello from Brussels, where I am today to press our sector’s case for access to Horizon Europe, the world’s premier research fund. Later today, I will meet with General (Rtd) Angus Campbell AO, Australia’s ambassador to Belgium, as well as senior representatives from the European Commission to explore Australia’s potential involvement in this game-changing initiative. 

Europe has embraced research and innovation as key drivers of productivity, and it’s gone all in on Horizon Europe to realise the gains on offer. 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. What’s happening in Washington, in particular, has the potential to reshape our existing research alliances, which is why it’s so important for us to be engaging more broadly. 

As Australia restarts its negotiations with the EU on a free trade agreement, I am encouraging our government make Australia’s involvement in Horizon Europe a feature of those conversations over the coming months. I look forward to keeping you updated on our advocacy efforts to achieve this. 

I’ve spent the rest of this week in the United Kingdom at the International Higher Education Forum, which I attended at the invitation of
Universities UK International
. I’ve also had some very valuable meetings with Australian officials, including Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom His Excellency the Hon Stephen Smith. I also caught up with Sir Steve Smith, the UK International Education Champion. What a pleasure! 

On Thursday, I visited the
University of Derby
’s Nuclear Skills Academy where they are training the UK’s nuclear engineers of the future. This is a brilliant joint initiative between the university and
Rolls-Royce
, showcasing the importance and impact of industry collaboration. 

Back home this week, the UA team has been busy finalising our response to the Productivity Commission’s five productivity inquiries. This work is being done to support the Government’s productivity growth agenda, which we know is the number one game in Canberra right now. 

Our sector has a key role to play in Australia’s economic development and success. UA’s submission broadly outlines priority areas of reform to help enable universities to continue skilling Australia’s future workforce, generating new ideas and products through research and engaging with the world to make our economy more prosperous and productive. 

We will have a lot more to say and do on productivity this year, and we have indicated to the Productivity Commission our strong desire to work directly with them to drive productivity-enhancing reforms in the national interest. 

In case you haven’t seen, this week we have also opened entries for the 2025 Shaping Australia Awards as we look to again shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes at our universities whose work is changing lives and helping shape the nation’s future. Our universities are full of people quietly working to make Australia a better place. They are rarely acknowledged, but they ought to be, and this is with the Shaping Australia Awards are all about. Please visit the website and encourage your colleagues to make a submission! 

I’ll leave it there for today. I hope you all have a safe and relaxing weekend! 

Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia

• Parliament returns 22 July 2025. The post-election sitting calendar is available here.

UA’s media engagement since 24 May 2025 has generated 122 mentions and reached a potential audience of more than five million across online, print, radio and television news.

View all submissions here