The 2018 Federal Budget contains good news for Australian scientists and research institutions with welcome investments in critical national research infrastructure and medical research.

The budget also includes new initiatives to support women in STEM, an Australian space agency and funding to conserve and protect the Great Barrier Reef.

“This is a good budget for science,” said Professor Andrew Holmes, President of the Australian Academy of Science.

“It reflects the long-term and strategic approach that is needed for Australia to benefit from science and innovation at a global scale."

A 12-year National Research Infrastructure Investment Plan will commit $1.9 billion to critical national research infrastructure, including $140 million for upgrades to the two most powerful computing facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.

“Australia’s national supercomputers give scientists across government, industry and universities the processing power for the complex scientific computations needed in an advance society including accurate weather forecasts, drug development, and large-scale astronomy,” Professor Holmes said.

Medical research is also a centrepiece of the Budget, with a new $1.3 billion National Health and Medical Industry Growth Plan that will play to Australia’s strengths in medical science and technology.

This plan includes a 10-year $500 million Genomic Health Futures Mission to develop ‘precision medicine’ approaches to a wide range of diseases.

It also includes 10-year investments of $248 million for rare cancers and diseases and $125 million for the Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission to support more research and better diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.

The Budget includes a $41 million space agency and investment program, $4.5 million in new measures to encourage girls and women to pursue STEM education and careers, and a $29.9 million research initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

“We have a long way to go as a nation, particularly on big issues like STEM education and training at school and university and climate change,” said Professor Holmes.

“But we are moving forward together and the Government has made a clear commitment in this Budget to working collaboratively with the science sector to maximise the benefits for all Australians.”

Science budget highlights

• A 12-year $1.9 billion National Research Infrastructure Investment Plan - $393 million over five years from 2017-18. Investments will be guided by the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, developed by Australia’s Chief Scientist, and will require co-investment by industry and other institutions.
  • Initial investments include $140 million upgrades to the National Computational Infrastructure in Canberra (announced December 2017) and the Pawsey Centre in WA.
• A Science and Technology Growth Plan that will support:
  • $26 million over four years to establish an Australian space agency, together with investment of $5 million per annum for three years to engage in international space research projects and attract investment to Australia.
  • $4.5 million for a suite of new measures to encourage girls and women to pursue STEM education and careers, including a decadal plan for women in science, a toolkit to encourage girls into STEM studies, and a new National Women in STEM Ambassador.
  • A $25 million research initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning including new collaborative research delivered through the Cooperative Research Centres program, and a strategic roadmap and an ethics framework led by CSIRO’s Data61.
• A 10-year $1.3 billion National Health and Medical Industry Growth Plan, supported by proceeds from the Medical Research Future Fund. This plan includes:
  • $500 Million Genomic Health Futures Mission that will develop new ‘precision medicine’ approaches to a wide range of diseases.
  • $240 million for a Frontier Science program aiming to support innovative medical research, devices and treatments.
  • $248 million for research on rare cancers and diseases.
  • $125 million for the Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission to support more research and better diagnosis and treatment of mental illness.
• Changes to the R&D Tax Incentive that will improve transparency and accountability of the Government’s largest single research program, and provide better incentives for Australian and international companies to invest in cutting-edge research and innovation in Australia.
• $260 million investment in satellite positioning and imaging infrastructure through Geoscience Australia. This will improve GPS location accuracy to within 10cm throughout Australia, and to 3-5cm when combined with mobile phone infrastructure in urban areas.
• A $20 million Asia Innovation Strategy supporting Australian business and researchers to collaborate in our region. This includes funding to extend the Australia-India strategic research fund for a further four years.
• A welcome return to indexation of ARC Discovery and Linkage schemes after several years of flat funding, and stable funding for other major Australian research agencies including CSIRO, ANSTO, and Geoscience Australia.
• Continued funding to engage Australians in STEM through the Inspiring Australia program.
• New and continued funding of $536 million to protect the Great Barrier Reef. A large part of this funding will be delivered in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, with a focus on improving water quality, funding research into coral restoration and adaptation and combating crown-of-thorn starfish.

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement to invest $70 million to upgrade two supercomputers at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre.

Secretary for Science Policy at the Academy, Professor David Day, said the new funding for the high performance computing facility will allow important research to continue in high priority areas of Australian science, including medical research, astronomy, agricultural science and geoscience.

“Increasingly, scientific research is generating large volumes of data, such as that coming from the Australian SKA Pathfinder—this requires sophisticated processing and analysis so researchers can derive most benefit from their work,” Professor Day said.

“Supercomputers, including this facility, are a critical piece of Australia’s economic, social and scientific infrastructure.

“The funding commitment provides more certainty for the future of Australia’s supercomputing capability, following the funding of the Pawsey’s sister facility, the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), in December last year.”

Media contact: Dan Wheelahan – dan.wheelahan@science.org.au – ph: 0435 930 465.

Naturalist, broadcaster and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Sir David Attenborough, is endorsing calls for greater support for the scientists who study and name Australia’s plants and animals and other organisms, declaring that Australia’s current capacity is not adequate for the magnitude of the task.

Sir David says that at the very time that many species are under greatest threat, funding and other resources allocated to discovering and documenting species are declining.

“This has serious consequences for the future of life on Earth,” he says in the foreword to the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s 10-year plan for taxonomy and biosystematics, to be launched today at Parliament House, Canberra.

Australia has extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity. It is one of only two developed countries with ‘megadiversity’ of plant and animal life. However, of the more than 600,000 predicted species in Australia, only 30% have so far been discovered, documented and named.

If Australia doesn’t change its approach to documenting our biodiversity, it is likely to take about 400 years to document every plant, animal and other species. In that time, many will go extinct.

A sound understanding of biodiversity is critical, particularly as Australia seeks to achieve both environmental and economic sustainability in the face of rapid environmental change and an extinction crisis that threatens to change the face of Earth.

Taxonomy and biosystematics—the disciplines of biology that discover, document, name and classify species—provide the framework for this much needed sound understanding of life on our planet. Taxonomists literally name the living world.

The Academy’s 10-year plan was developed by an expert working group led by Australian plant taxonomist, Dr Kevin Thiele.

He says Australia discovers and names around 2,500 new species per year—more than almost any other country in the world.

Technological revolution

“A substantial increase in the current rate is possible if taxonomists and biosystematists are properly supported to take advantage of the technological revolution underway, in areas such as genomics, machine learning and 3D imaging, which would help speed up the mapping of our unique biodiversity,” Dr Thiele said.

“With careful planning and adequate capacity building, Australia could embark on a ‘hypertaxonomy’ program—we could completely document our biodiversity in a generation. This would put us at the global leading edge—and as the only developed nation in the world that is also biologically megadiverse, this is where we should be.”

“Documenting our biodiversity is important—for conservation, biosecurity, agriculture, human and animal health, and to understand the evolution of life on Earth,” Dr Thiele said.

President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Andrew Holmes, acknowledged that the plan was ambitious in scope.

“Australia and New Zealand are currently world leaders in managing and deploying biodiversity knowledge. This plan seeks to ensure that this leadership is not lost,” Professor Holmes said.

“With the appropriate investment and support from government, industry and society we can ensure that future generations, and the community at large, are able to enjoy and celebrate the unique value and immense potential of the plant and animal life in our country.”

The Academy would like to acknowledge the support of the Ian Potter Foundation in the development of ‘Discovering Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand 2018–2027’ on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Mosquitoes and marine sponges

Mosquitoes and marine sponges highlight the need for enhanced support for taxonomy.

Mosquitoes cause more human deaths than any other animal on earth, yet there are an estimated 200 Australian species that have not yet been named or studied. Some of these may carry serious diseases, but we cannot assess this risk unless they are properly documented.

Marine sponges are extremely rich in compounds that are leading to new drugs and other pharmaceuticals, including new antibiotics that will be needed to help deal with multi-drug-resistant diseases. An estimated 3,000 more species are known but have not yet been documented, and many more await discovery. Any one of these species may provide a drug that saves human lives.

Read Discovering Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand 2018–2027

Naturalist, broadcaster and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Sir David Attenborough, is endorsing calls for greater support for the scientists who study and name Australia’s plants and animals and other organisms, declaring that Australia’s current capacity is not adequate for the magnitude of the task.

Sir David says that at the very time that many species are under greatest threat, funding and other resources allocated to discovering and documenting species are declining.

“This has serious consequences for the future of life on Earth,” he says in the foreword to the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society Te Apārangi’s 10-year plan for taxonomy and biosystematics, to be launched today at Parliament House, Canberra.

Australia has extraordinarily high levels of biodiversity. It is one of only two developed countries with ‘megadiversity’ of plant and animal life. However, of the more than 600,000 predicted species in Australia, only 30% have so far been discovered, documented and named.

If Australia doesn’t change its approach to documenting our biodiversity, it is likely to take about 400 years to document every plant, animal and other species. In that time, many will go extinct.

A sound understanding of biodiversity is critical, particularly as Australia seeks to achieve both environmental and economic sustainability in the face of rapid environmental change and an extinction crisis that threatens to change the face of the Earth.

Taxonomy and biosystematics—the disciplines of biology that discover, document, name and classify species—provide the framework for this much needed sound understanding of life on our planet. Taxonomists literally name the living world.

The Academy’s 10-year plan was developed by an Expert Working Group, led by Australian plant taxonomist, Dr Kevin Thiele.

He says Australia discovers and names around 2,500 new species per year—more than almost any other country in the world.

“A substantial increase in the current rate is possible if taxonomists and biosystematists are properly supported to take advantage of the technological revolution underway, in areas such as genomics, machine learning and 3D imaging, which would help speed up the mapping of our unique biodiversity,” Dr Thiele said.

“With careful planning and adequate capacity building, Australia could embark on a ‘hypertaxonomy’ program—we could completely document our biodiversity in a generation. This would put us at the global leading edge—and as the only developed nation in the world that is also biologically megadiverse, this is where we should be.”

“Documenting our biodiversity is important—for conservation, biosecurity, agriculture, human and animal health, and to understand the evolution of life on Earth,” Dr Thiele said.

President of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Andrew Holmes, acknowledged that the plan was ambitious in scope.

“Australia and New Zealand are currently world leaders in managing and deploying biodiversity knowledge. This plan seeks to ensure that this leadership is not lost,” Professor Holmes said.

“With the appropriate investment and support from government, industry and society we can ensure that future generations, and the community at large, are able to enjoy and celebrate the unique value and immense potential of the plant and animal life in our country.”

The Academy would like to acknowledge the support of the Ian Potter Foundation in the development of ‘Discovering Biodiversity: A decadal plan for taxonomy and biosystematics in Australia and New Zealand 2018–2027’ on behalf of the Australian Academy of Science and the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Read the plan: www.science.org.au/taxonomyplan

MOSQUITOES AND MARINE SPONGES—examples that highlight the need for enhanced support for taxonomy

Mosquitoes cause more human deaths than any other animal on earth, yet there are an estimated 200 Australian species that have not yet been named or studied. Some of these may carry serious diseases, but we cannot assess this risk unless they are properly documented.

Marine sponges are extremely rich in compounds that are leading to new drugs and other pharmaceuticals, including new antibiotics that will be needed to help deal with multi-drug-resistant diseases. An estimated 3,000 more species are known but have not yet been documented, and many more await discovery. Any one of these species may provide a drug that saves human lives.

Media note: To interview Dr Kevin Thiele, for images from the plan or to request a copy of the video featuring Sir David Attenborough contact Dan Wheelahan: M 0435 930 465  |  E dan.wheelahan@science.org.au

The Australian Academy of Science welcomes the Optimising STEM Industry-School Partnerships: Inspiring Australia’s Next Generation Final Report and is calling on Federal and State governments to work together to advance the report's 10 recommendations.

The Academy’s Education Committee Chair, Professor Ian Chubb FAA, said the Academy strongly supports the push for industry to play a greater and more constructive role in enhancing STEM in Australia’s education system.

“We are pleased to see a number of the Academy’s recommendations from its submission reflected in the final report,” Professor Chubb said.

The Academy strongly backs the report’s emphasis on the importance of STEM education to help solve real-world problems, and the development of initiatives at scale.

The Academy particularly welcomes the report’s recommendations to ‘review senior secondary system and university prerequisites (2)’ and ‘develop minimal national requirements for discipline specific professional learning to maintain ongoing teacher registration (3)’.

“The Academy has been advocating for some time for the staged reintroduction of at least Year 12 mathematics subjects as prerequisites for all bachelors programs in science, engineering and commerce,” Professor Chubb said.

The Academy’s Secretary for Education and Public Awareness, Professor Pauline Ladiges FAA, said the Academy’s long-standing experience in developing and delivering science and mathematics education programs supports the report’s focus on in-service and pre-service teacher professional learning.

“The Australian Academy of Science supports all efforts to collect data that help improve teaching and learning and that guide Australia’s future investment in STEM,” Professor Ladiges said.

Read the Academy’s full submission, including its recommendations

The Academy’s role in STEM education

Academy offers three STEM education programs to primary and secondary teachers and students: Primary Connections, Science by Doing and reSolve: Mathematics by Inquiry.

Each program includes features to improve teacher quality through professional learning and improve students’ skills through a guided inquiry approach that enhances problem solving ability, science literacy and numeracy. Teachers, schools and classrooms that have implemented the programs attest to their impact, and independent program evaluations support this finding. The resources and training are widely available to schools at low or no cost to them. The programs reach hundreds of rural and remote students and teachers.

More information about the programs

Leading brain scientists are calling for greater coordination and scale of Australian brain science to drive the development of neuro-technologies, and to ensure advances in preventing and treating brain-related diseases are realised in the next ten years.

The scientists will take their “moon-shot” proposal to Australia’s politicians as they launch a national campaign, ‘Crack the Brain’s Code’, this week at Parliament House.

Chair of the Australian Brain Alliance (ABA) and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Professor Linda Richards, said the initiative is aimed at exploiting our country’s unique research strengths, raising the prospect of breakthrough therapies and the emergence of new technologies in Australia.

“The applications of brain science have the potential to define the twenty-first century. Cracking the brain’s code will impact our health and education systems, enhance our national security and defence capability, and allow us to lead in artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing,” Professor Richards said.

“Australia needs to make a strategic national investment in brain sciences, or else we will fall behind while the rest of the world takes advantage of the advances in brain research.”

Australian brain researcher and clinical neurologist Professor Sam Berkovic (FAA) said Australian science punches above its weight in brain science research, but further investment is needed.

“We have the potential in terms of the people, the technology and the ideas to take things much further,” Professor Sam Berkovic said.

“A greater focus on an integrated trans-disciplinary approach is required to provide revolutionary solutions to some of the most difficult challenges facing brain researchers.”

Watch the ‘Crack the Brain’s Code’ video

More about ‘Brains on the Hill’

The Australian Academy of Science has joined Commonwealth of Nations science leaders from around the globe to call on the Commonwealth Heads of Government to use the best available science to guide action on climate change.

The call is part of a Consensus Statement on Climate Change launched by 22 national academies and societies of science from around the Commonwealth, ahead of next month’s CHOGM summit in the United Kingdom.

The consensus statement, which represents the consensus views of tens of thousands of scientists, marks the first time Commonwealth nations have come together to urge their Governments to take further action to achieve net-zero greenhouse gases emissions during the second half of the 21st Century. 

Secretary of Science Policy at The Australian Academy of Science, Professor David Day, said the long-term goal of keeping the increase in average global temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, agreed to by 160 parties in the 2015 Paris Agreement, was only the first step in a long journey.

“Even if all the country commitments from the Paris Agreement are met, the best interpretation of the latest data shows that by the end of the century the global climate is likely to be 3°C above pre-industrial levels.

“This is substantially higher than the Paris target to limit warming to less than 2°C, and would have profound impacts affecting billions of people throughout the world,” Professor Day said.

Sustainability is one of the key themes to be discussed by Commonwealth leaders at the 2018 CHOGM summit, with a focus on the resilience of developing and vulnerable countries to climate change.

“Recognising different capacities, challenges and priorities, the approaches of each nation will not be the same. But, they must be informed by the best available scientific evidence, monitoring and evaluation,” Professor Day said.

“The Academy stands ready to assist the Australian Government, and indeed broader Commonwealth efforts, by continuing to provide sound scientific advice on issues relating to climate change.”

Read the Consensus Statement on Climate Change

Further reading

• The Australian Academy of Science’s Australian climate science capability review characterises Australia’s current climate science capability and identifies how well the climate science sector is positioned to meet current and future demands for weather and climate knowledge.
• The Australian Academy of Science’s science of climate change publication explains the current situation in climate science, including where there is consensus in the scientific community and where uncertainties exist.

Eight rising stars of Australian science have been selected by the Australian Academy of Science and the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings to attend a highly prestigious annual gathering of Nobel Laureates and promising young scientists from around the world.

The Australian delegation will join 592 other scientists, all under the age of 35, to present their medical research to Nobel Laureates and their colleagues, exchange ideas and share experiences with other young researchers.

The PhD students and postdoctoral researchers selected to attend the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany, from 24-29 June 2018, are:  

• Lee Ashton—Postdoctoral researcher, University of Newcastle—who is researching participation-based lifestyle interventions to improve the health of young men 
• Ryan Farr—Postdoctoral Fellow, CSIRO Geelong—who is identifying and characterising biomarkers of viral encephalitis, like the Rabies virus, to enable early treatment
• Jessica Kretzmann—PhD student, University of Western Australia—who is working on developing a safe and efficient method to deliver gene therapies to treat breast cancer
• Hayley McNamara—PhD student, Australian National University—who is researching how immune cells respond to parasites, so that improved vaccines can be developed to combat malaria
• Gregory Quaife-Ryan—PhD student, University of Queensland—who is focusing on the role of a group of genes, known as long non-coding RNAs, in cardiac regeneration
• Elena Schneider—Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Melbourne—who is researching treatment options for cystic fibrosis and multi-drug resistance
• Amy Shepherd—PhD student, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health—who is researching Alzheimer’s Disease, utilising specialised rodent touchscreens to look at specific cognitive deficits
• Yuan Zhou—Postdoctoral researcher, University of Tasmania—who is identifying genetic variants and environmental factors that influence the development of multiple sclerosis.

According to the Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, this year’s meeting will set two records: 43 Nobel Laureates will take part, the most ever at a medicine meeting, while 84 countries are sending their best young scientists to the meeting. Fifty percent of the young scientists attending this year are women.

Academy President Professor Andrew Holmes said the Lindau meetings are globally recognised for providing inspirational role models to young researchers.

“These meetings give young researchers the opportunity to interact with their scientific heroes, exchange ideas, gain exposure to areas in their chosen disciplines and establish new contacts and networks with their peers,” Professor Holmes said.

PhD student Andrew White from the University of Queensland attended the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. He was impressed by the message from several Laureates about the importance of basic research.

“They all mentioned that when they first made their discoveries their papers were not accepted by the scientific community for some time, and were sometimes even ridiculed by other scientists because their discovery were against the norm. In order to make their ground-breaking discoveries they needed to focus on research areas that people perceive as impossible or too difficult to do,” Mr White said.

The group will also take part in a post-meeting study tour, led by renowned Australian scientist and Academy Fellow, Professor Jennifer Martin.

Successful candidates receive a grant towards the cost of airfares, participation in the meeting and the study tour, made possible thanks to the generous support of the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF). 

Learn more about the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

Recently the Academy received two bequests – one was directed to a specific activity where the donor had intimate knowledge and commitment to the Academy’s education programs. The other was directed to the Australian Futures Science Fund which supports the future work at the Academy as prioritised by council.  

We were notified about one of them, the other was a complete surprise. At opposite ends of the spectrum in magnitude and purpose, they’ve helped the Academy to consolidate support for existing projects, and start others from scratch.

We are grateful to receive them and honoured by their trust in the Academy’s commitment to supporting science in Australia.

Recently, Professor Michael (Mike) Dopita AM FAA met with Academy staff to advise of his pledged bequest to the Academy. 

As a former treasurer, Mike has an appreciation of the Academy’s needs.  The pure delight with which Mike spoke of his pledged bequest and his deep understanding of the Academy’s needs were obvious.   Mike’s bequest represents a significant donation, one that is not tied to a specific activity of the Academy.  By giving to the Australian Futures Science Fund Mike’s gift will allow us to advance our work.

The Academy is a vital resource for the nation as it prepares for a future increasingly influenced by science and technology. To continue its important work promoting scientific excellence in Australia the Academy must secure its own long-term financial sustainability and independence.

In the tradition of truly great endowment funds such as that of Harvard University, the Australian Academy of Science has created the Australian Futures Science Fund.

As a supporter of the Academy of Science’s Australian Futures Science Fund, you will help to create a legacy that will not only guarantee the Academy’s financial independence, but will continue to promote scientific excellence in this nation for generations to come.

The Australian Research Council has announced support for 22 research projects totalling more than $9 million, with the aim of developing research–industry collaborations.

Thirteen of the projects supported so far through the 2017 ARC Linkage scheme involve Academy Fellows, a clear demonstration of the extraordinary contributions that Fellows make to Australian science and innovation.

The Linkage Projects scheme supports university researchers to find practical solutions to problems and challenges in real-world, industry-based settings.

The projects also rely on significant cash and in-kind support from industry partners, governments and community organisations.

Fellows’ projects

Professor Rick Shine (CI)—Buffering the ecosystem impact of invasive cane toads. This project aims to address the devastating ecological problems caused by invasive species, by developing a novel approach that does not rely upon eradicating the invader through training vulnerable native predators not to eat toxic cane toads. Expected outcomes of this project include building a broad coalition of conservation-focused groups, from private land-owners and local businesses through to Indigenous groups and government and non-government agencies across the entire Kimberley region. It will also result in the evaluation of methods for deployment of taste-aversion at a landscape scale. This should provide significant benefits by conserving vulnerable fauna and building a powerful network within a region of high biodiversity in tropical Australia.

Professor Rick Shine (CI)—Cane toads in southern Australia: invasion dynamics and options for control. This project aims to investigate the spread of cane toads through southern Australia, an invasion front that has attracted far less research than the same species’ expansion through tropical regions, even though toads severely impact native wildlife in both areas. This project expects to generate new knowledge to determine why the rate of toad invasion is so much slower in New South Wales than in the tropics, and how best to modify newly-developed approaches to toad control to the conditions in southern Australia. Expected outcomes include predicting future trajectories of expansion, and identifying optimal approaches to toad control and impact mitigation. This should provide significant benefits for biodiversity conservation.

Professor Benjamin Eggleton (CI) et al.—Integration of broadband microwave photonic frequency convertors. This project aims to develop microwave photonic processors with increased bandwidth and unprecedented radio frequency signal processing. The new technology will enhance radar systems and electronic-warfare capabilities, and allow more flexible delivery of bandwidth for mobile communication systems. Benefits for Australian end-users and industry include improved surveillance for defence and revenue growth in companies working with the Australian defence forces.

Professor Lorenzo Faraone (CI) et al.—Defect engineering in molecular beam epitaxy-grown mercury cadmium telluride. This project aims to develop high quality mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) materials with lower defect density and lower background doping levels. This will enable future, high-performance, lower-cost infrared sensors with the unique features of higher yield, larger array size and higher operating temperature. The project will generate new science and technologies on defect engineering in the epitaxial growth of semiconducting HgCdTe on cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) substrates. This will contribute to the development of core Australian industry sectors such as defence, environmental monitoring, medical imaging, earth remote sensing, mining, and oil and gas.

Professor Andrew Gleadow (CI) et al.—Dating the Aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north-west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known Aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art based on replication of results, confirmation across different methods, and a large interdisciplinary dataset. The project will allow rigorous analysis of the relationship between dating results and rock art styles that has not previously been possible, and give new insights into Australia’s deep Indigenous heritage. This will have a significant impact for future efforts in rock art conservation, and lay a foundation for cultural tourism, with important benefits for the local economy and health of regional Indigenous communities.

Professor John Gooding (CI) et al.—Bioinks for the 3D printing of cells made from off-the-shelf components. This project aims to develop a simple method for creating complex, multiple-cell-type three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures for in vitro cell-based assays. Using 3D printing technology, this project will develop a versatile polymer system, made from entirely commercially available components, that gels upon printing and has functionality to assist cells in adhering, growing and migrating. The 3D printing of multiple cell types will provide biological scientists with more realistic in vitro cell assays to those found in vivo. Applications of the research are in cell biology, studying diseases and developing new drugs.

Professor Graham Goodwin (CI) et al.—Control strategies for bagasse-fuelled boiler units. This project aims to improve sugar production and electricity cogeneration capabilities in the sugar industry by utilising novel control ideas for boiler units. In the sugar industry, sugarcane residue is used as biofuel for boiler units. Boilers use steam to crystallise sugar and generate electricity. However, variable steam demand and poor fuel consistency severely hinder production. The project aims to improve safe operation of boilers, reduce downtime, and maximise electricity generated to the grid. This will provide significant benefits to sugar manufacturing and, more broadly, biofuel energy generation in Australia.

Professor Richard Hobbs (CI) et al.—Innovative seed technologies for restoration in a biodiversity hotspot. This project aims to develop and implement innovative and practical methods to improve native plant establishment within a global biodiversity hotspot. As restoration efforts worldwide are hindered by altered substrates and invasive species, the greatest challenge is to reconstruct plant communities that are resistant to invasion and resilient within disturbed landscapes. The development of advanced technologies to enhance restoration success will benefit ecological communities impacted by urban expansion, agriculture and resource development, and their associated practitioners, government agencies, private landowners and primary Australian industry.

Professor David Lindenmayer et al.—Fauna, fuel and fire: effects of animals on bushfire risk. This project aims to determine the extent that animals influence fire regimes through effects on fuel load and characteristics. Minimising the risk of large, severe bushfires, while conserving native species is one of the greatest challenges facing managers of fire-prone ecosystems globally. Using a powerful combination of landscape-scale field observations, experimental manipulations of animal densities, and modelling, the project expects to quantify interactions between animals, bushfire fuel and fire regimes in south eastern Australian forests, woodlands and scrublands. This evidence should benefit the design of integrated, efficient, and complementary strategies for fire and fauna management in Australia’s extensive fire-prone ecosystems.

Professor Craig Moritz et al.—Building resilience to change for mammals in a multi-use landscape. This project aims to identify critical habitat and dispersal corridors for mammals by applying a novel, interdisciplinary landscape genetics approach to genetic and spatial data. The project expects to generate new knowledge on the evolutionary significance of landscapes in the Pilbara that have facilitated species persistence. Expected outcomes are the incorporation of evolutionary processes into multi-species, systematic conservation planning and enhanced capacity to inform conservation and sustainable development in the Pilbara. Significant benefits include alignment of conservation approaches across industry and government stakeholders, and implementation of best-practice conservation science in a biodiversity hotspot.

Professor John Endler et al.—Nutritional requirements of the critically endangered corroboree frog. This project aims to test the effect of dietary carotenoids on an extensive range of fitness-determining traits in the endangered southern corroboree frog. Unprecedented rates of species extinction have been reported for all vertebrates, with amphibians most severely affected. Captive breeding programs play a key role in amphibian conservation, yet there is a lack of knowledge regarding the nutritional requirements of threatened species. Manipulating captive nutrition is a cost-effective action that will permit recovery teams to more efficiently implement conservation actions. The findings will be of major benefit to amphibian conservation globally.

Professor Peter Lay et al., including Professor Emma Johnston—Clothes, fibres and filters that reduce pollution by micro and nano debris. This project aims to provide scientifically verified methods to avoid, intercept and redesign products that cause the most abundant type of marine plastic pollution—clothing fibres—which has increased by over 450% in 60 years. It will determine how natural and plastic fibres, clothing brands and washing machine filters, alter fibre emissions and ecological impacts. This will enable protocols to improve products and the environment, and reduce health risks that will benefit the public, government regulation and companies in designing ‘eco-friendly’ products.

Professor Roger Tanner et al.—Emulsion explosives for rock blasting in extreme geothermal environments. This project aims to understand the underlying mechanisms behind the physical and chemical breakdown of ammonium nitrate based emulsion explosives used for mining in geothermally active regions. It will apply this knowledge to develop a new class of high temperature- and pressure-resistant emulsion explosives. The resulting technology will be used in the safe and efficient mining of precious mineral deposits, such as gold, in geothermally active regions worldwide. The project will benefit the Australian mining industry by allowing mining of resources at deep levels, creating more jobs and increasing Australia's export earnings.