Australian research lobbyists pressed the government to fund implementation of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (Serd) recommendations across multiple budgets, warning reforms are “bigger than one budget.” The Australian Academy of Science and the Group of Eight urged immediate budgetary commitments to reverse long‑term declines in R&D investment and to secure capabilities in strategic domains. Separately, campaigners and universities criticised conservative caps on disbursements from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF). The MRFF’s A$650 million annual cap is constraining grant awards even as the fund’s capital has risen above A$20 billion; critics say the cap suppresses research spending that could accelerate biomedical projects and clinical research. Stakeholders argue that sustained, staged investment across fiscal years is required to implement strategic reforms and to avoid losing research talent and international competitiveness.