This is the transcript of a keynote address delivered by Academy President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC, at the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC) as part of the AIWC@5 International Symposium on 17 November 2025.
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Distinguished colleagues, Consul General Dr Janakiraman, Dr Jat – Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, senior officials from the Government of India, esteemed academic leaders from Australia and India, friends and partners – good afternoon.
It is my great honour to join you today to speak on ‘Strengthening Australia–India science collaboration for a sustainable and resilient future’.
Acknowledgement of Country
I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Across this continent, First Nations peoples have cared for land and water for tens of thousands of years – guided by deep knowledge of rivers, wetlands, seasons, and ecosystems.
Their enduring stewardship reminds us that water is not merely a resource, but a sacred element – a connector of life, culture, and community.
As we gather to explore the dimensions of Australia–India science collaboration, it is fitting that we draw on this wisdom – recognising that resilience is not built from technology alone, but from values, inclusion, and respect for diverse knowledge systems.
Science diplomacy and shared purpose
Throughout my own research career, I have seen the power of collaboration to transcend distance and difference.
When Australian and Indian scientists come together – bringing their unique expertise, perspectives, and creativity – the outcomes are richer, more innovative, and more impactful than we could achieve alone.
This is the essence of science diplomacy: the use of scientific cooperation to build relationships, trust, and capacity between nations.
In an era of global disruption – from climate extremes to geopolitical shifts – science diplomacy is not a luxury or an afterthought.
It is a strategic necessity.
It builds the connective tissue between nations, enabling shared discovery and collective resilience.
For Australia and India, this partnership is anchored in shared values: openness, innovation, and respect for knowledge.
Through cooperation, we not only advance science – we strengthen the very foundations of our relationship, ensuring it is enduring, strategic, and transformative.
A legacy of partnership
The Australian Academy of Science has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with the Indian National Science Academy, or INSA.
Our academies first signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 1986, renewed in 2012, and our collaboration continues through multilateral platforms such as the Science20 (S20) meetings, the International Science Council, and the InterAcademy Partnership.
Only a few weeks ago, both academies endorsed the S20 statement on climate change and wellbeing, a consensus-driven call to action for urgent, science-driven action to protect the wellbeing of people and ecosystems.
And in December, Academy Fellow Dr Surinder Singh will join a panel led by INSA at the InterAcademy Partnership’s General Assembly in Cairo on ‘Responsible and sustainable AI for society’ – a powerful example of how scientific cooperation also deepens global influence and thought leadership.
Australia–India Strategic Research Fund: Science as a bridge
One important tool of our bilateral scientific partnership is the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund.
Since its inception, the Fund has been a cornerstone of cooperation – bringing together leading researchers from both nations to tackle shared challenges in water, energy, climate, and advanced materials.
Since 2017, the Academy has managed this Fund, delivering the Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Fellowship program on behalf of the Australian Government.
Over that time, 52 emerging Australian researchers have travelled to India to work with outstanding Indian institutions – building networks, developing their understanding of diverse research cultures, and acting as future science ambassadors.
The Fund’s priorities mirror Australia’s national science and research goals, namely:
Water, of course, sits at the heart of these priorities.
It is foundational – for life, for prosperity, and for security.
When water security falters, so too does social stability, economic productivity, and ecological integrity.
Shared challenges and opportunities
Australia understands this reality all too well – from drought to flood, from the Murray–Darling to the aquifers to our north and west.
India faces immense pressures of its own: monsoon variability, glacier melt, urbanisation, agricultural demand, and a changing climate.
These are shared challenges – but also shared opportunities for science-led solutions.
The Australia India Water Centre itself is a model for how deep collaboration can deliver real impact.
Through joint research, training, and technology transfer, it helps both nations advance water governance, catchment management, and climate adaptation.
Collaboration in action
Several projects supported by the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund exemplify this success.
In 2022, the University of Sydney and Indian partners developed real-time sensors to improve groundwater quality management.
Meanwhile, the University of South Australia collaborated on recovering critical minerals and rare earth elements from waste – addressing both environmental protection and resource resilience.
And in 2020, Dr Ashmita Sengupta from CSIRO undertook a fellowship with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and The Nature Conservancy.
Together, they designed environmental flow frameworks to strengthen water and ecosystem resilience in the Godavari Basin – an area highly sensitive to monsoon change.
By studying native fish species and their ecological dependencies, the team filled critical knowledge gaps and helped shape policy options for sustainable water management.
Dr Sengupta described the Fellowship as transformative – a reminder that science diplomacy operates not only in policy rooms, but in fieldwork, laboratories, and lifelong professional friendships.
Science and technology at the centre of change
Friends and colleagues, we gather at a moment of profound consequence – not only for science, but for humanity.
The world is being reshaped by climate disruption, technological acceleration, and shifting geopolitics.
Science and technology no longer sit at the periphery of these forces – they are at their centre.
What we choose for science today will shape our shared destiny.
In a world where knowledge drives security, prosperity, and influence, our capacity for collaboration – across nations and disciplines – is itself a form of resilience to the massive change around us.
This is why Australia and India must continue to treat science collaboration not merely as cooperative goodwill, but as strategic partnership – one that strengthens both nations’ ability to navigate uncertainty, manage resources wisely, and lead in innovation for sustainability.
Examples of scientific excellence
Many of our Academy Fellows embody this spirit.
Professor Craig Simmons of the University of Newcastle, and Chief Scientist of South Australia, is a world leader in groundwater modelling. He has transformed how we understand and manage subsurface water systems, shaping policy decisions from Australia to the Indo-Pacific.
Professor Stuart Bunn of Griffith University, who is internationally recognised for his research on river and wetland systems has informed environmental water management across the region.
His current work on safe and just Earth system boundaries for surface and groundwater highlights the transformations needed for a sustainable future.
Their work shows how deep expertise, coupled with collaboration and policy engagement, can guide nations toward resilience.
And Indigenous-led science is also central to this future.
Professor Bradley Moggridge, a proud Kamilaroi water scientist, bridges Traditional and western knowledge to inform sustainable water management and policy.
His leadership demonstrates how diverse knowledge systems can together produce more just and inclusive outcomes.
As we deepen collaboration between our countries, recognising the value of Indigenous and traditional knowledge – in both countries – will be vital to achieving innovation that is ethical, inclusive, and sustainable.
The strategic reality: why collaboration matters now
Globally, science diplomacy is undergoing transformation.
In a world of contested information, technological competition, and environmental fragility, scientific collaboration is not just about generating knowledge – it is about building influence, establishing norms, and shaping the future.
This is why our partnership matters.
Together, Australia and India can demonstrate how science serves both the planet and people – advancing sustainability while building strategic confidence and trust.
We can lead in water governance, in climate adaptation, in clean energy, in circular economy solutions.
We can build the STEM talent pipelines our nations need and nurture the next generation of scientists who think globally and act ethically.
In doing so, we not only advance research – we strengthen resilience, equity, and peace.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this gathering is about more than water science.
It is about science as diplomacy, as partnership, and as purpose.
It is about embedding a culture of joint leadership, shared vision, and collective responsibility.
It is about turning shared challenges into shared solutions.
Australia and India stand at the forefront of a new era – one in which collaboration will determine resilience, and where the strength of our science will define the strength of our societies.
If we have the courage to act – to deepen collaboration, invest in people, and align our efforts for the common good – we can shape a future that is sustainable, secure, and equitable for generations to come.
We owe it to the next generation – to create hope and opportunity.
Thank you.
© 2025 Australian Academy of Science
