Science and innovation
Australia’s ingenuity and thirst for innovation has been forged through its enterprising spirit— the resilience, creativity and unquenchable desire to solve a problem. Australian innovations like the bionic ear, the original electronic pacemaker, the black box recorder, cervical cancer vaccine and Wi-Fi have improved the lives of billions.
Australia has a longstanding innovation, science and research relationship with the US. The relationship is underpinned by an Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between our countries and has seen us work together to put a man on the moon, protect ships from missiles using decoy rockets, and improve in vitro fertilization technology.
Australia’s strengths include strong education and research sectors, world leading public research agencies, cutting edge research infrastructure and a strong trade and investment base for international companies.
In the space sector, Australia and the US have cooperated for over 50 years, with the pictures of man walking on the Moon broadcast to the world from NASA tracking stations in Australia. This partnership will continue long into the future, with other areas to be supported through initiatives such as Australia’s Global Innovation Strategy. Initiatives such as these will support our two countries to continue collaborations in areas such as on mental health, cancer research, quantum technologies, and the expansion of the landing pads program to help Australian entrepreneurs get a foothold in Silicon Valley.
In December 2015, the Australian Government announced funding of $1.1 billion over four years for the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA). The NISA sets a focus on science, research and innovation as a key long-term driver of economic prosperity and growth for Australia. In 2017, the Australian Government also released the National Science Statement which sets out a long term vision and framework for Australia’s national science system. The Statement will provide stability and certainty to the way the government supports and invests in science.
- Australian Antarctic Division
- Australian Astronomical Observatory
- Australian Institute of Marine Science
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANTSO)
- Australian Research Council
- Australia Unlimited
- Bureau of Meteorology
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
- Geoscience Australia
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA)
- National Measurement Institute
- National Science Statement
- Science agency collaboration