Academy welcomes new funding for strategic science plans

July 03, 2014

The Australian Academy of Science welcomed new Australian Research Council funding to guide the future of three vital science disciplines in Australia.

Education Minister Christopher Pyne announced yesterday that the Academy will receive nearly $500,000 over three years to develop 10-year plans for chemistry, agricultural science, and the earth sciences.

All three areas are fundamental to the Australian economy, particularly manufacturing, farming and minerals exploration.

Developed by the Academy’s National Committees for Science, the plans will seek input from across government, industry, academia and the education sector to identify the future needs of each discipline and outline priorities for investment over the next 10 years.

They will make recommendations about research directions, infrastructure, workforce needs, career structure and educational reform.

In the past, the Academy’s decadal plans for physics and astronomy have been strongly 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 and another plan for astronomy.

The new funding was allocated from the Australian Research Council’s Learned Academies Special Projects scheme.

Photo credit: CSIRO image/Robert Kerton<

© 2024 Australian Academy of Science

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