The nation’s peak science body is pressing ahead with plans to trim its workforce despite reports the federal government is planning to restore funding to its information technology research agency.

The merger of CSIRO and National ICT Australia to create the Data61 agency was announced in February and formally endorsed in August, with up to 200 public servants expected to lose their jobs as a result.

But a CSIRO spokesman said department had received no confirmation of additional funding and would continue with a plan to streamline services.

“The new management team led by Adrian Turner is currently undertaking a restructuring of the business to create a single integrated business,” the spokesman said.

“The business is working hard to make the efficiency gains that the merger offers and is also working to identify new possible sources of revenue including from the federal government.”

The innovation agency employs 589 staff, and universities contribute a further 124 staff and 391 students. The department has said the loss of 200 employees would be the worst case scenario under the current funding model.

Close to 300 PhD students currently studying with Data61 will be able to complete their qualifications.  

Earlier this year, CSIRO chief executive Dr Larry Marshall said the merger had taken longer than expected and any potential redundancies would be confirmed towards Christmas or early next year.

Dr Marshall said the department had made minimal changes to NICTA operations, although support services in IT and human resources would be restructured within CSIRO.

“We are looking for new sources of income and how we can save costs,” he said.

Dr Marshall said the department would also seek to consolidate office space in Canberra, Brisbane and Victoria where there are separate offices.

“In the ACT we are looking at the leases to work out [how we should consolidate] … we will probably move to the NICTA site initially because of the lease conditions and then move back to the CSIRO site when that lease runs out.

“It is the collective that we are looking at reorganising, not just the NICTA or the digital productivity sites. We do recognise the need for a geographical spread across the country.”

Dr Marshall has said the rebranding exercise engaged NICTA and CSIRO staff to question the value of their organisation and goals.

“It was also a good way for the new CEO Adrian Turner to really bring together the two groups – digital productivity and services out of CSIRO, and the NICTA – and help them create a cohesive group,” he said.