Date Time Regional Universities must be eligible for Regional Development Infrastructure funding Regional universities have been largely ignored in the latest Federal Budget, with calls for much-needed regional university infrastructure going unheeded. The chair of Regional Universities Network (RUN), Professor Nick Klomp, said that a major gap in the Federal Government budget is the lack of funding for infrastructure at regional universities. “RUN has long argued that regional universities should be eligible for relevant infrastructure programs in the regional development portfolio, such as the Building Better Regions Fund,” Professor Klomp said. “Regional universities are anchor institutions for their regions, and make a fundamental contribution to regional economies. Infrastructure at our universities improves research capacity, supports the engagement and partnership with regional industry, and provides broader social benefit to towns. Government should support the establishment of innovation precincts at regional university campuses.