Medical research has received generous funding from this year's federal budget while cuts have been made in the budget of CSRIO and other science agencies.

Quite a contrasting situation was seen and experts commented on the funding cuts for science as a lack of strategic vision. It is great that the government has promised to increase the funding by double the current amount for NHMRC.

A National Institute for Dementia Research will also be set up as well as the government has announced to establish Medical Research Future Fund worth $20 billion. Experts said such developments are welcomed, but it should also not be forgotten that cuts amounting at least $420 million has been made to a number of iconic agencies and programs.

Professor Suzanne Cory, President of the Australian Academy of Science, said he is quite concerned about the cuts. "It's really important to recognise that medical research stands on the other sciences", affirmed Cory who stressed on the need of strengthening the rest of the science fields at equal level.

Due to the cuts, many people in the science related fields will lose their jobs. CSIRO chief executive, Dr Megan Clarke has even sent a mail to staff members indicating them up to 500 full time jobs will go as the agency has suffered loss of $111.4 million in budget cuts.

The number of people who would lose their jobs is an addition to 300 jobs already scheduled to be axed. Already, in the past nine months, 400 have lost their jobs. To survive with the given budget, Clarke said CSRIO may reduce its investment or can even make an exit from radio astronomy, some areas of neurosciences and clinical medicine, carbon capture, urban water, sensor development and geothermal.

Other agencies that have also suffered the brunt are Australian Research Council (ARC), Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) program among others.