The HERP scheme supports activities to foster understanding of the importance of, and/or promote research and scholarship in, science, social science or humanities in Australia. The HERP scheme is established under the Higher Education Support Act 2003.
HERP provides annual funding for seven not-for-profit research promotion organisations listed below.
The five learned academies:
- Australian Academy of Science (AAS)
- Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)
- Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH)
- Australian Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA)
- Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS)
and the:
- Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA)
- Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS)
The Learned Academies, supported by the ACOLA, are important national assets which provide a unique and valuable contribution to the pursuit of excellence in Australia’s innovation system and in the provision of advice to government on issues of national and international significance. They play a distinctive role in promoting and fostering research and scholarship in all disciplines.
The ANZAAS aims to promote communication and interaction between scientists in different disciplines, to foster public interest in science and technology.