PUBLIC LECTURE

Innovation requires global engagement
In Conversation with

Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt and
Professor Andrew Holmes, Foreign Secretary Australian Academy of Science

The Spot (Basement) Theatre,198 Berkeley Street, Carlton
5.30pm - 7.00pm, Friday 30 March 2012
Event invitation

The Australian Academy of Science and The University of Melbourne are proud to present ‘In Conversation’ with Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt and Professor Andrew Holmes, Foreign Secretary Australian Academy of Science on the evening of Friday, 30 March.

The conversational event moderated by Robyn Williams (ABC’s The Science Show) will explore the personal perspectives of Professor Schmidt and Professor Holmes about the future of international science and Australia’s potential.

The event will be introduced by Professor Suzanne Cory, President Australian Academy of Science.

The discussion will illuminate the case for Australia’s strategic engagement with international science in the Asian Century, building on the Academy’s 2011 Position Paper, Australian science in a changing world: innovation requires global engagement.

Driven by science, the world in 2011 is changing fast. A decade into the ‘Asian Century’, Australia increasingly seeks to improve its links with its Asian neighbours, while maintaining and strengthening links with North America and Europe. Since the beginning of the 21st century, global investment on R&D has almost doubled, speeding up the pace of change itself. Australia cannot undertake science in isolation. Australian scientists are in demand worldwide, and Australia is also a key destination for scientists from other countries. If we do not compete on the world stage, we will lose scientists and ideas to other countries and forgo the opportunity to work here with the best and brightest from elsewhere and forgo the economic benefits that follow from R&D.

The global scientific landscape is rapidly developing, with the balance of power moving East and South. Australia has a closing window of opportunity to build on its high-quality research and strong links with traditional scientific powers, to connect to other established and emerging powers in Asia and elsewhere. This effort will be central to our competitiveness in the 21st century. This engagement window will not remain open for long.

As Australia enjoys the proceeds of a mining boom, our major partner economies in Asia are in the middle of a science and innovation boom. The OECD reports that China’s investment in R&D alone accounted for 13% of the OECD total in 2008, up from 5% in 2001.2 This rapid growth shows no signs of slowing, and other countries including India, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia all show stronger R&D growth than Europe, North America and Japan. Our future engagement with these economies will require the ability to link in with their science and innovation establishments.

Other countries are responding to this change with deliberate action. The Australian Government’s main program for supporting strategic international science collaboration was terminated in June, 2011. In light of these global scientific trends and the relevance of science and technology to shaping our future, reconsideration of our international engagement is urgently required. Australia has a unique opportunity, as both a Western and an Asian nation, to participate strategically in global science and innovation.

The big challenges and opportunities for Australia in the 21st century – social, economic and environmental – are global, requiring coordination and integration across scales and disciplines.

This event seeks to contribute to national debate about what Australia must do to ensure that it can maintain its links with leading international science, and continue to maximise economic and social benefits for the nation from these global networks.

When:	5.30pm - 7.00pm, Friday 30 March 2012
Where:	The Spot (Basement) Theatre,198 Berkeley Steet, Carlton
Contact:	RSVPs essential Email: rsvp@science.org.au Phone: 02 6201 9460