It's no secret that universities are at the heart of the majority of Australia's scientific breakthroughs. A few months ago, a team from the University of New South Wales created the first quantum logic gate in a silicon chip, building the last missing piece required for a functioning quantum computer. Almost 40 years before that, an engineer from the University of Melbourne developed the bionic ear, and in between those have been countless innovations across all fields in science and technology.
So why then does the Australian government invest so little money in university research? This new animation created by Universities Australia as part of their Keep it Clever campaign explains why it's more important than ever to put our money where our scientists are.
And it's not all about research either. The ideas that are brewing in universities today are going to build the inventions and innovations of tomorrow, which will generate new industries and jobs for the entire country.
As a site that sees how excited our readers get about the promise of new ideas and the research generated by Australian universities, it's an issue very close to our hearts.
This post was sponsored by Universities Australia. Find out more about their campaign.