Submissions – Strategic Examination of R&D issues papers

Across two submissions, responding to six issues papers, the Academy calls for stronger national coordination, long-term strategic planning and increased investment to address Australia's fragmented and underfunded research and development system.

Australia must treat R&D as a national priority and better connect discovery research to innovation and economic outcomes.

Key recommendations include:

• establishing stronger governance and coordination mechanisms (e.g. a national R&D board and cabinet-level oversight) to align government, industry, and research efforts
• creating a 10-year national investment plan and boosting funding – especially for basic research
• introducing new funding approaches, such as an R&D levy and greater use of superannuation and private investment to grow capital for research
• improving incentives to encourage collaboration, innovation and commercialisation
• strengthening research workforce support (including PhD funding) and international collaboration
• investing in infrastructure, high-performance computing and streamlined grant systems while reducing administrative burden.

On 30 September 2025, the Academy made a submission via a survey on the Strategic Examination of Research and Development that responded to issues papers 1–4:

1. National coordination for RD&I impact
2. Scaling the system
3. RD&I incentives
4. Investment and capital

On 10 October 2025, the Academy made a submission via a survey on the Strategic Examination of Research and Development that responded to issues papers 5 and 6:

5. Foundational research
6. Government as an exemplar