As Australia’s taxonomists gather in Canberra to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the body established to document Australia’s plants, animals and fungi, one issue is top of mind: their ambitious goal to name all undescribed species in Australia within a generation may remain out of reach without more government and philanthropic support.
In mid-November, the Academy held what I believe was its most important symposium in our almost 70-year history, titled International scientific collaborations in a contested world. At the heart of the symposium was an issue that goes to the very architecture and nature of the global research system which we rely on to respond to the many challenges facing humanity.
Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE – Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Heard of exascale computing? It’s the next big thing in high-performance computing and it’s paving the way for scientists to analyse huge amounts of data and simulate complex real-world problems, thanks to computer processing speeds never seen before.
But Australia’s scientists say the nation is at risk of being left behind when it comes to reaping the benefits of high-performance computing without a long-term strategy and more significant strategic investment from government.
The very architecture and nature of Australia’s capacity to engage in the global research system is at stake with the introduction of the Defence Trade Control Amendment Bill in Parliament.
This legislation will see Australia expand its backyard to include the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) but raise the fence for many other countries when it comes to international research collaborations.
An Australian scientist was awarded third place in the Emerging Talents category of the Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year last month, at one of the world’s premier conferences for research and innovation, the Falling Walls Science Summit.
Governments and society in 2023 turned to science for evidence to inform vital decisions we faced. Yet we also saw overall investment in R&D drop to an all-time low. 2023 is the year that science became more valued, but more vulnerable.
The Australian Academy of Science says further action is needed to strengthen the governance of Australian research following the publication of an evaluation of the performance of the Australian Research Integrity Committee (ARIC).
The evaluation by KPMG was published earlier this week after being commissioned by two of the nation’s research funding councils: the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Maintain the health of Australians through medical research and its translation into care. Defend Australia. Meet our space ambitions. None of this can be achieved without increasing Australian nuclear science capabilities.
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