2011/12 has seen a rapid expansion of the role of ACOLA as the liaison bodybetween the four Learned Academies. The earlier strengthening of the organisation through the appointment of a professional secretariat has proven to be timely. Those steps enabled ACOLA to swiftly rise to the challenge created early in 2012 when the Office of the Chief Scientist initiated a new role for the Academies, as providers of long-range evidence-based research for the Prime Minister's Science Engineering & Innovation Council (PMSEIC).
2011/12 has seen a rapid expansion of the role of ACOLA as the liaison body between the four Learned Academies. The earlier strengthening of the organisation through the appointment of a professional secretariat has proven to be timely. Those steps enabled ACOLA to swiftly rise to the challenge created early in 2012 when the Office of the Chief Scientist initiated a new role for the Academies, as providers of long-range evidence-based research for the Prime Minister's Science Engineering & Innovation Council (PMSEIC).
In addition to the six initial projects that comprise the PMSEIC program Securing Australia's Future, ACOLA has continued to manage a contracted project for DIISRTE (RWS Careers in Research Workshops), a LASP project (Making Interdisciplinary Research Work) initiated previously and an internally funded project being run in collaboration with VicHealth (Australia's Progress in the 21st Century).
ACOLA Secretariat staff members continue to network across the research sector through participation in numerous public events. The expansion of the number and variety of research programs being managed by the Secretariat mean that ACOLA is now collaborating with a range of organisations including for example ACOSS, Australian Conservation Foundation, the Australian National Development Index, Deakin University, Foundation for Young Australians, VicHealth and Young & Well CRC.