National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Name	National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy
Country	Australia
Established	2007
Administered by	Australian Research Council

Contents

National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy

The National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy provides a framework for supporting large-scale research infrastructure investment across Australia through coordinated policy, funding and management. It aims to align priorities across agencies such as the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and state bodies including the New South Wales Government, Victorian Government and Queensland Government, while engaging universities like the Australian National University, University of Melbourne, University of Sydney and partner institutions such as the CSIRO and the Museum Victoria.

Background and Objectives

The strategy emerged from reviews conducted by panels including the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering, and advisory groups associated with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the Treasury (Australia) and the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council. Its objectives were to prioritise national facilities such as the Australian Synchrotron, the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, the Tandem Accelerator, and regional capabilities like the Australian Antarctic Division logistics, while supporting universities including Monash University, University of Queensland, University of Western Australia and medical research institutes like the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute.

Governance arrangements involve partnerships among Commonwealth entities such as the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, national agencies like the Australian Research Council, state treasuries including the New South Wales Treasury, and host organisations such as the University of Adelaide and the University of New South Wales. Funding mechanisms combine competitive grants administered via the ARC Centres of Excellence model, block funding through mechanisms akin to the National Health and Medical Research Council schemes, and capital funding negotiated with the Australian Government and state governments including the South Australian Government and Tasmanian Government.

The strategy classifies investments across categories exemplified by the Australian Synchrotron for large-scale instruments, the National Computational Infrastructure and the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre for high-performance computing, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network and the Australian Microscopy & Microanalysis Research Facility for platform technologies, and field stations such as the Australian Antarctic Division bases and the CSIRO Marine National Facility. It also encompasses biomedical platforms at institutes like the Royal Melbourne Hospital and cultural collections at institutions such as the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Library of Australia.

Implementation relies on program management frameworks used by agencies like the Australian Research Council, performance indicators comparable to those employed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and periodic reviews led by panels drawn from the Australian Academy of Science and international experts from organisations such as the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Evaluation metrics include utilisation rates at facilities like the Australian Synchrotron, computational throughput at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, and research outputs associated with universities including University of Canberra and Griffith University.

The strategy has underpinned research undertaken by scholars at the University of Adelaide, clinicians at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, and scientists at the CSIRO, enabling discoveries in areas connected to projects funded by the Australian Research Council and collaborations with international partners like the European Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. It has influenced postgraduate training at institutions such as the University of Melbourne, capacity building at the Australian National University, and industry engagement with firms linked to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the National Broadband Network rollout.

National coordination links agencies including the Australian Research Council, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and state research offices, while international collaboration taps networks like the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Square Kilometre Array partners, the Global Research Council and bilateral agreements with organisations such as the National Institutes of Health, the Japan Science and Technology Agency and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Challenges include sustaining long-term capital investment amid budgetary pressures from the Australian Treasury, coordinating multi-jurisdictional governance across states like Victoria and Western Australia, updating capabilities to meet demands from fields represented by the ARC Centres of Excellence and accommodating rapid advances driven by partners such as the Wellcome Trust and the European Research Council. Future directions emphasise integration with national priorities set by the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council, stronger engagement with industry partners including the CSIRO and global research infrastructures such as the Square Kilometre Array Organisation and enhanced support for emerging centres at universities like Deakin University and Macquarie University.