The Australian Government Science and Research Priorities

In 2015, the Australian government defined a set of nine national Science and Research Priorities that we have mapped our Centre’s research against. The Priorities that overlap with the Centre’s research are highlighted in bold text.

Food

  • Demand, supply chains and the identification of country specific preferences for food Australia can produce
  • Social, economic and other barriers to achieving access to healthy Australian foods
  • Enhanced food production through:
    • novel technologies, such as sensors, robotics, and real-time data systems and traceability, all integrated into the full production chain
    • better management and use of waste and water; increased food quality, safety, stability and shelf life
    • protection of food sources through enhanced biosecurity
    • genetic composition of food sources appropriate for present and emerging Australian condition

Soil and water

  • New and integrated national observing systems, technologies and modelling frameworks
  • Understanding sustainable limits for productive use of soil, water, terrestrial and marine ecosystem
  • Restoration and remediation of soil, fresh and potable water, urban catchments and marine systems

Transport

  • Low emission fuels and technologies for domestic and global markets
  • Urban design, autonomous vehicles, electrified transport, sensor technologies, real time data and spatial analysis
  • Effective pricing, operation and resource allocation

Cyber security

  • Highly secure and resilient communications and data acquisition, storage, retention and analysis
  • Secure, trustworthy and fault-tolerant technologies
  • New technologies and approaches to support the nation’s cyber security
  • Understanding the scale of the cyber security challenge for Australia

Energy

  • Low emission energy production from fossil fuels and other sources
  • New clean energy sources and storage technologies
  • Australian electricity grids that can readily integrate and more efficiently transmit energy

Resources

  • A fundamental understanding of the physical state of the Australian crust, its resource endowment and recovery
  • Knowledge of environmental issues associated with resource extraction
  • Lowering the risk to sedimentary basins and marine environments due to resource extraction
  • Technologies to optimise yield through effective and efficient resource extraction, processing and waste management

Advanced manufacturing

  • Knowledge of Australia’s comparative advantages, constraints and capacity to meet demand
  • Crosscutting technologies that will reduce risk, scale up and add value to Australian manufactured products
  • Specialised, high value-add areas such as high-performance materials, composites, alloys and polymers

Environmental change

  • Predicting and measuring the impact of environmental changes caused by climate and local factors
  • Resilient urban, rural and regional infrastructure
  • Options for responding and adapting to the impacts of environmental change on biological systems, urban and rural communities and industry

Health

  • Better models of health care and services that improve outcomes, reduce disparities for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, increase efficiency and provide greater value for a given expenditure
  • Improved prediction, identification, tracking, prevention and management of emerging local and regional health threats
  • Better health outcomes for Indigenous people, with strategies for both urban and regional communities
  • Effective technologies for individuals to manage their own health care

National Benefit (KPIs)