Political interference in university research funding presents an “existential threat” to the tertiary sector, the head of the Australian National University (ANU) has warned. In his state of the university address on Jan. 7, ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt referenced acting Education Minister Stuart Robert’s decision on Christmas Eve to veto six research grants awarded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). “Of the four known occurrences of political interference, three have occurred in the last three years—and as things stand, BOTH major parties agree it is appropriate for the [education] minister to wield this power. “Political interference has bipartisan support. I see this as an existential threat to Australian universities,” Schmidt said. According to Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor Barney Glover, some of the vetoed grants would have funded the examination of modern-day China and the motivations behind school students’ climate activism. Schmidt said political interference could corrupt knowledge and slow its …