Many Australian scientists consider quitting over lack of funding: report

A vast majority of Australian scientists are considering leaving the profession for a lack of funding, a study has found.

The report, published by the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) on Monday, revealed that 80 per cent of those scientists surveyed were considering leaving scientific research for another career.

One in four surveyed said they were "uncertain" about whether they would be employed next year because it was so difficult to get research funding.

"Despite science and innovation being the platform for Australia's future economic strategy, Australia faces an imminent brain drain," the report said.

A lack of career opportunities and job security were the primary areas of concern for scientists, the report found.

Sarah Meachem, President of the ASMR, said that the biggest cause for concern was that many of those thinking of abandoning science were mid-career.

"The majority of the researchers (considering leaving) are mid-career scientists," Meachem told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Monday.

"What's really important to say is these people are 10, 20, 30 years into their careers and are highly skilled and talented.

"If we lose them, we lose the forever and we won't have the next generation of leaders for our health and medical researchers."

The report said that 15 per cent of Australia's scientific workforce had already left the field, which is only "the tip of the iceberg" and some had moved overseas to work.

"63 percent said better funding for their research had a strong influence on their reasons for leaving Australia," the report said. Endit