Australian Academic Suggests Boycott Support Cost Him Grant

A University of Sydney researcher is alleging that he may have lost out on a grant from the Australian Research Council because some government officials were concerned about his support for a boycott of Israeli universities, The Australian reported. According to the newspaper, officials of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade noted that Jake Lynch, who heads Sydney's Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, vocally supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, and questioned whether giving him a grant would be bad for the agency's image. Later in the year, the government-supported research council rejected a $290,000 grant for the center to study the work of journalists in parts of Africa, and Lynch has asked a faculty union to explore whether his support for the boycott played a role. Officials at the research council said they followed their procedures.