Message from the President

Last week, we celebrated the extraordinary scientific talent that exists across our country with the election of 24 new Fellows and two Corresponding Members to the Academy. I extend a hearty congratulations and warm welcome to them, and I look forward to working together to champion and advance science in Australia.

Now is a great opportunity to discover our new Fellows’ stories, achievements and remarkable scientific research, which showcases the diversity and depth of Australian science.

This month we welcomed the Government’s announcement of a strategic examination of the R&D sector as part of the 2024 Federal Budget. This is a long-overdue and critical step in reviving our ailing research ecosystem, and one the Academy has been advocating for since 2018. It is a rare opportunity to power up our R&D sector, bring coherence and focus to a currently fragmented R&D system, and turn around declining investment, so that R&D can support our national ambitions. We look forward to working closely with the government on this body of work. You can read more about the science measures in the Federal Budget throughout this newsletter, and in our interactive dashboard.

A critical input into the government’s strategic examination will be our recently announced initiative to develop a 10-year plan for science, ‘Australian Science, Australia’s Future: Science 2035’. This initiative will assess Australia’s existing science system and its capability to support our national ambitions and address challenges ahead.

I am thrilled to report that, via the Academy’s newly established partnership with the Belmont Forum, Australian sustainability researchers will have access to global networks and funding to progress sustainability research. These opportunities will be available to members of Future Earth Australia, a national platform that connects researchers, governments, industry and society hosted by the Academy.

I encourage adults and children alike, to tune into the inspirational presentation given by Dr Laurie Leshin, the Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who shared their work with a full house at the Shine Dome this week. From earth observation to traveling to deep space, it was truly an inspirational journey. The recording will be available at the link above from 1 June.

Enjoy this May edition of the Academy newsletter.

Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE