Australia does some of the highest quality university research in the world, and for cheap.

The USA can (and does) fund specific research and they get to say what happens to that research after it is finished. It unusually goes into the public domain.

For example, the USA could fund a series of projects on mechanically compounded super-alloys. They would benefit from the shitty Australian dollar, and then get full use of the information.

In principle it is a good idea.

The devil is in the details.