New funding for strategic science plans

The Australian Academy of Science will receive nearly $500,000 over three years to develop 10-year plans for agricultural science, chemistry and the earth sciences.

Made possible by new funding from the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Learned Academies Special Projects scheme, the plans will seek input from across industry, academia, the education sector and government.

The aim will be to identify the future needs of each discipline and make recommendations about research directions, infrastructure, workforce needs, career structure and educational reform.

“These roadmaps will ensure Australia has the scientific capacity to meet future challenges,” academy president Professor Andrew Holmes said. “The decadal plans will help to improve research outcomes and training, and build stronger engagement with industry, with a direct impact on the economy, health and wellbeing of Australia.”

In the past, the academy’s decadal plans for physics and astronomy have been influential in shaping these disciplines and instrumental in securing Australia’s involvement in building major international research infrastructure. The academy is also currently developing a plan for mathematical sciences.

The Australian Academy of the Humanities will also receive funding via the new scheme to map the humanities in the Asia region and identify opportunities for strengthening collaboration between researchers in Australia and Asia.