The Academy commends the Parliament of NSW for recognising the threat posed by poor indoor air quality to health and productivity through launching an inquiry into this important issue.

Last year, the Academy published Indoor air: the science of indoor air and pathways to improve indoor air quality in Australia. 

The report addresses the terms of reference of the inquiry in detail. From this report, the Academy emphasises two core messages:

1. There is a robust and growing body of scientific evidence showing that poor indoor air quality has a negative impact on our health and wellbeing.
2. There are known and available technological and policy solutions to improve indoor air quality.

Australia should introduce enforceable indoor air quality performance standards in public buildings. The Academy recommends a phased approach, leveraging Australia’s successful workplace health and safety framework that enables Commonwealth leadership and state and territory alignment. 

We have the scientific evidence, technological capacity and policy tools to act now. The responsibility and the opportunity sit with government, industry and academia to work together to implement evidence-informed solutions to deliver healthier indoor air for everyone.

The Australian Academy of Science offers two types of opportunities for scientists: 

• Honorific awards recognise outstanding contributions to the advancement of science across the career spectrum.
• Funding opportunities support scientists to undertake research projects or travel and deliver lectures both nationally and internationally. 

Explore all the 2027 honorific awards and funding opportunities that are now open below.

New for 2027 

Expressions of interest are now open for the inaugural Workshop Series.  

This award provides funding of up to $40,000 for researchers to run small specialist workshops that focus on current issues and advance Australian science and society. 

2027 Academy honorific awards 

Nominations for the Academy’s prestigious honorific awards for scientific excellence close 1 May 2026.

How to nominate

Premier awards 

• Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture (physical sciences)
• Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and Lecture (any branch of the physical and biological sciences) 

Career awards 

• David Craig Medal and Lecture (chemistry)
• Hannan Medal (pure mathematics)
• Jaeger Medal (Australian Earth science)
• Suzanne Cory Medal (biological sciences excluding biomedical sciences)
• Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal (mathematics or physics) 

Mid-career awards 

• Jacques Miller Medal (experimental biomedicine)
• Nancy Millis Medal (any branch of the physical and biological sciences) 

Early-career awards 

• Anton Hales Medal (Earth sciences)
• Brian Anderson Medal (information and communications technology)
• Christopher Heyde Medal (pure mathematics, applied, computational and financial mathematics)
• Dorothy Hill Medal (Earth sciences)
• Fenner Medal (biology, excluding biomedical sciences)
• Gottschalk Medal (biomedical sciences)
• John Booker Medal (engineering sciences)
• Le Fèvre Medal (chemistry)
• Moran Medal (statistical science)
• Pawsey Medal (physics)
• Ruth Stephens Gani Medal (human genetics)

2027 Academy funding opportunities 

Applications close 1 June 2026. 

Research awards 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award
• Margaret Middleton Fund for Endangered Australian Native Vertebrate Animals
• Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award
• Moran Award for History of Science Research
• Thomas Davies Research Grant for Marine, Soil and Plant Biology
• WH Gladstones Population and Environment Fund 

Travelling fellowships 

• Selby Fellowship for overseas scientists to visit Australian scientific centres
• David Vaux Research Integrity Fellowship Award for Australian scientists to present workshops and lectures in Australia 

Workshop funding 

• Workshop Series for scientists in any field to hold small specialist workshops

More about our awards and funding opportunities 

• See all awards and funding opportunities
• See previous honorific awardees 

Download 

This content is also available as a PDF flyer. 

As Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO is a cornerstone of Australia’s scientific excellence and innovation, conducting research and collaborating with industry to benefit Australians in areas including health, climate and the environment, space science and astronomy, energy, agriculture, manufacturing and technology.

CSIRO is not immune to budget decisions that are an essential component of responsible governance of public resources. It is important for CSIRO to be empowered to make strategic and operational decisions that align with legislated objectives, organisational priorities and Australia’s evolving national needs. This autonomy affirms CSIRO’s ability to remain agile, innovative and capable of delivering impactful scientific research in the national interest and that does not duplicate efforts in other parts of the scientific enterprise.

However, the recent job cuts and resourcing challenges at CSIRO are a symptom of a science sector that is highly resource-constrained and reaching a critical point. While the costs of science are increasing, Australia’s investment in research and development (R&D) is well below the OECD average and declining. This puts our science capability, including our national science agencies, in a precarious position and risks Australia’s future prosperity and security. Over a decade of declining R&D funding cannot be restored by one-off budget band-aids.

Australia is facing many challenges including societal generational change, geopolitical shifts, environmental challenges, and technological disruption. Government needs to ensure Australia holds the scientific and technological capabilities required to meet these challenges.

The Academy recommends the Australian Government:

• Commit to sustainably funding publicly funded research agencies, especially to secure public good research. The resourcing required to ensure adequate national capability should be based on evidence.
• Action the forthcoming recommendations of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) to reform Australia’s research system and reverse the long-term decline in Australia’s R&D investment.
• Develop a 10-year R&D investment plan for the public and private sectors to work together to create an R&D ecosystem that makes Australia globally competitive and raises national investment in research. The Academy’s budget positive proposal to establish a Research Fund using revenue generated from an R&D levy supports this objective.

Australian science and innovation have been profoundly shaped by skilled migrants who have chosen to build their careers in Australia. To take just one indicator, since 2017, 47% of Fellows elected to the Australian Academy of Science were born abroad.

Scientists who migrated to Australia, such as Prime Minister’s Prize for Science winners Professor Michelle Simmons and Professor Lidia Morawska, and Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt, have driven advances in quantum research, indoor air quality, and astrophysics. Their work has positioned Australia as a global leader and attracted further investment, collaboration and talent. In doing so, they employ Australian early-career researchers, nurture the next generation of scientists, and seed national capability.

Skilled migration is critical to boosting Australia’s scientific capability, productivity and innovation. This capability is essential for Australia to prosper in an era of massive technological, geopolitical and environmental disruption. Investing in scientific and technological capability is an investment in today’s currency of power and prosperity. To benefit from the global race for STEM talent, recruiting top-tier scientists will not only add immediate expertise and knowledge to the Australian pool but also boost the nation’s ability to independently generate and apply vital scientific knowledge and skills in the future, while further strengthening international scientific links and networks.

Scientific skilled migration is an efficient way to boost our national capability, both immediately and over the long term, at reduced cost and amplified effectiveness.

Australia offers unique professional and personal benefits for scientists considering a new future in which their research is valued, respected and impactful.

The Academy recommends:

• aligning skilled migration settings with the eight priority science capabilities highlighted in the Academy’s Australian Science, Australia’s Future: Science 2035 report
• supporting the Academy’s Global Talent Attraction Program (GTAP) to attract and retain scientific talent.

The future of air travel is coming, powered by this homegrown collaboration.

Project Sunrise is Qantas’ bold leap into the future of ultra-long-haul travel, backed by evidence-based research by scientists at the Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney.

This bold project has transformed fundamental discoveries about circadian biology into real-life impact – reimagining in-flight lighting, movement, nutrition and sleep to reduce jet lag and improve travellers' wellbeing with scientifically measurable benefits.

Their research has informed the design of next-generation aircraft, built with futuristic cabin features helping passengers arrive more rested, alert, and ready to go.

In conversation with ABC Canberra's Lish Fejer, we’ll hear from two leaders of the project:

• Vanessa Hudson is Qantas Group CEO and Managing Director. She is leading the airline towards Project Sunrise take-off, with the first flights scheduled for 2027.
• Professor Stephen Simpson AC FAA FRS is leading the team of researchers from Charles Perkins Centre, using real-world passenger data to enhance the in-flight experience and inform the next generation of specially designed ultra-long-range aircraft.

This event is for everyone including students, professionals, academics, policymakers, lifelong learners, and those simply curious about how science is shaping our future.

Event details

Date: Tuesday 14 April 2026

Time: Canapés and drinks are served from 5.30pm, with the talks (and the livestream) at 6.00 – 7.00pm AEST

Venue: The Shine Dome, 15 Gordon Street, Acton, ACT (and free online livestream)

Cost: $22pp ($17pp for students)

Speakers

Series details

More about the series

The Australian Academy of Science’s public speaker series in 2026 will explore today’s challenges and tomorrow’s solutions, underpinned by science.

Each event will pair a prominent public figure with a top scientist or innovator. Together with ABC Canberra’s Lish Fejer, they will explore the big issues shaping our future, and the important role science and research plays in everyday life.

Find out more about the Bright Minds, Bold Voices speaker series

Series passes are available until Tuesday 14 April. Individual event tickets can be purchased at any time.

Series host

Series convenor

Thank you to our convenor for 2026:

• Professor Stephen Simpson AC FAA FRS, University of Sydney

Series supporter

In the 2026-27 budget, we call on the Australian Government to commit to a strategic policy platform to achieve healthy indoor air and invest $3.5 million over two years to:

• develop a national indoor air quality strategy
• establish a multidisciplinary advisory council on indoor air quality.

The advisory council would oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy to achieve the following priorities:

• Establish enforceable indoor air quality performance standards in public buildings. We recommend a three-phase approach, leveraging Australia’s successful workplace health and safety framework that enables Commonwealth leadership and state and territory alignment. The first phase would require indoor air quality monitoring in all workplaces. The second phase introduces a workplace reporting standard, mandating specific parameters to be measured and reported. The final phase would legislate standards for all public buildings, requiring selected parameters to be monitored and controlled within designated safe levels. The final phase would require building operators to implement solutions to improve indoor air quality when it does not meet the standards.
• Launch a national public awareness and education campaign for indoor air quality. This campaign should uplift awareness of indoor air pollutants, including airborne pathogens (viruses, mould and bacteria) and bushfire smoke, and the benefits of improving indoor air quality. Education is a vital complement to the implementation of standards to ensure that required measures are effectively adopted by building owners, operators and occupants, and understood and supported by the Australian community at large.

This is a 2026–27 pre-Budget joint submission for a national strategy for indoor air quality made by the following organisations:

• Australian Academy of Science
• Air Club
• The Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Australasian Faculty of Public Health Medicine, of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
• Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences
• Burnet Institute
• Centre for Safe Air
• Heart Foundation
• Lung Foundation Australia
• Research Australia
• The Safer Air Project
• Thrive

In an era of massive geopolitical, technological and environmental disruption, investing in science is not a luxury – it is a strategic necessity.

It is in Australia’s national interest that we have the strongest science and technology system possible.

This requires prioritising long-term, sustained investment in research, which equips us with the knowledge to solve challenges, innovate and seize new opportunities.

Australia’s current science capability is unsustainable. While research costs rise, funding has fallen. This challenge cannot be addressed with band-aid solutions and one-off budget boosts.

Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council funding has declined in real terms. The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is not being fully utilised. Our public research agencies face significant staffing cuts. These are the symptoms of a highly resource constrained sector.

The Australian Government recognised this by commissioning the Strategic Examination of R&D (SERD). Implementing the SERD’s recommendations to reverse the decline in R&D investment will take several budgets, but it must begin with this one.

There are urgent opportunities that will kickstart the implementation of the SERD’s recommendations and the step change to a secure, sustainable science system that strengthens Australia’s future.

The Academy recommends the Australian Government:

• Implement the Strategic Examination of R&D recommendations to reform the national R&D system and reverse the declining trend in investment.
• Develop a 10-year R&D investment plan for the public and private sectors to work together to create an R&D ecosystem that makes Australia globally competitive and raise national investment in research. The Academy’s budget positive proposal to establish a Research Fund from revenue from an R&D levy supports this objective.
• Invest in a decadal program to secure, coordinate and expand Australia’s high-performance computing and data capabilities across government, the private sector and the science sector.
• Co-invest $16.5 million to the Academy’s Global Talent Attraction Program, demonstrating national leadership by matching the investments made by state governments. Also enable access to the National Innovation Visa for successful Global Talent Attraction Program applicants.
• Invest $8.9 million over four years to extend the Academy’s proven, high-quality, research-backed science and mathematics teaching resources and delivery of professional learning programs for educators.
• Invest in becoming an associated country to Horizon Europe to mitigate geopolitical risks and enhance Australia’s access to world-leading research funding, infrastructure and collaboration opportunities.
• Sponsor Australia’s membership in the Belmont Forum and participation in the Forum’s Ocean 2 Collaborative Research Action. A $2 million one-off investment is expected to generate $10 million in benefits for Australia.
• Bolster the role of the National Science and Technology Council to involve all government Ministers with responsibility for science and research agencies and facilitate ready access to science and technology advice from Australia’s learned academies, who have unique access to leading experts locally and globally.

The Academy has also made a joint submission to the 2026–27 pre-budget consultation calling for the Australian Government to establish a multidisciplinary advisory council on indoor air quality to oversee the development of national indoor air quality strategy.

The 2026–27 Budget must mark a turning point in Australia’s long-running decline in research and development (R&D) investment, or risk lasting damage to the nation’s economy, security and living standards, according to the Australian Academy of Science.

Academy President Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC said science and technology are not luxury investments in an era of mass technological, geopolitical and environmental disruption.

“The Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) was designed to deliver a blueprint for an efficient and effective R&D system needed to serve our national interests. We call on the Government to embrace this once-in-a-generation opportunity and start R&D system optimisation in this Budget,” Professor Jagadish said.

“Science and technology are today’s currency of power and prosperity. What the Government chooses to prioritise in this Budget will shape Australia’s future for decades.

“Long-term business underinvestment in R&D, plummeting competitive grant funding and mounting resourcing pressures for research agencies are not isolated issues.

“They are clear signs of a system at breaking point. Reversing more than 10 years of decline will take multiple budgets. But it must start with this one.”

A long-term plan, starting this Budget

The Academy is urging the Government to commit to a 10-year national R&D investment plan that brings government, business and the higher education sectors together to rebuild Australia’s R&D capability and restore international competitiveness.

“The Academy recognises the budget pressures this Government is under, and that’s why we have proposed establishing a budget-positive research fund supported by revenue from a temporary R&D levy on large businesses, discounted for companies that invest in R&D. This could raise between $2 and $12 billion for research,” Professor Jagadish said.

Supercomputing at risk

The Academy also warned that Australia is falling behind global competitors without urgent investment in next-generation high-performance computing and data infrastructure, which underpins artificial intelligence, quantum technology development, weather forecasting, climate modelling, agriculture advances, health and cybersecurity.

“Australia’s supercomputing capacity is ageing, oversubscribed and nearing end of life, with no plan for replacement. Australia’s sovereign computing capability is at risk,” Professor Jagadish said.

Science advice at the centre of government

The Academy also urged the Government to strengthen national science advice by bolstering the National Science and Technology Council, so all ministers have rapid access to independent, expert evidence.

“Science must inform decision-making if Australia is to navigate complex economic, environmental and security challenges,” Professor Jagadish said.

Read all the Academy’s recommendations in its submission

The Academy has also co-published a separate pre-Budget submission calling on the Australian Government to develop a national indoor air quality strategy and establish a multidisciplinary advisory council to oversee the strategy.