Australian Academy of Science President, Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE
Fellows, colleagues, honoured guests-good afternoon.
Congratulations and a warm welcome to our newly admitted Fellows.
Our Fellows are the brains trust of our nation.
You are among the nation's most distinguished scientists.
Since the Academy was established 70 years ago, 982 Fellows have been elected to it.
Our Fellowship currently stands strong at 614.
Aside from the scientific work you do, our Fellows contribute their expertise to the Academy, so science can be heard.
And so, your knowledge can inform the actions of our decision makers, whether they be in our parliaments, boardrooms, courtrooms, in our classrooms and in our homes.
The 19 years since I was elected to the Academy have flown by.
But I still vividly recall the deep satisfaction at being recognised by my peers for my contributions to science.
I imagine you feel the same today.
I was one of 15 Fellows elected in 2005.
Among them was microbiologist Professor Ruth Hall. She was the only woman elected that year.
How times have changed.
For the better.
Election to the Academy remains a fair and rigorous process.
Today, we have better ways to ensure we remove barriers to election experienced by under-represented groups.
We continually review these processes-whether they apply to the election of Fellows or to awardees-so that we can assess the diverse contributions of candidates.
We know that diversity is more than gender diversity and there is still much work to be done, especially around recognising achievement across our Indigenous scholars. I will come back to this later.
Since our inception, we have had a steadfast commitment to building a Fellowship that reflects the contemporary balance of disciplines and the breadth of the scientific community.
This commitment is reflected in the Academy's new strategic plan, which I will also talk more about later.
As a national academy we have a responsibility to model, promote and influence best practice in the conduct of science.
Not just within our Fellowship, but across the science sector in Australia.
It is our collective role to set standards for science and to pursue scientific excellence in all that we do.
In listening to Fellows' presentations, you have already had a taste of the extraordinary scientific talent we have in our nation.
I spend much of my time looking at nanostructures and observing the world at a different scale.
So, the opportunity to sit in this grand hall and hear about the wonders of our universe, how viruses multiply, novel ways to create clean energy, and the complexity and importance of the soil beneath our feet, is truly mind blowing.
On Thursday we will hear from our awardees including emerging scientific leaders. I have no doubt I will be inspired again and reminded of why it is critically important for all of us to work to remove career barriers that might prevent the world benefiting from their creativity and discoveries.
Science at the Shine Dome is one, if not the only, conference in Australia, where you can listen to Australia's most distinguished scientists share their expertise across every discipline.
Scientists of all ages and backgrounds-people passionate about shifting the frontiers of knowledge-come together to share, network, collaborate and to inspire each other.
Another reason I love Science at the Shine Dome is this place and all it stands for.
The Shine Dome is the home of Australian science.
A big, bold concept.
At its opening, it was described as "unconventional and futuristic".
It still is.
To this day, the Shine Dome remains an architecturally significant building, made greater by its occupants.
Following the Shine Dome's refurbishment in 2001, then-Prime Minister John Howard said of the building:
"…. all of you will see it as a fitting physical reminder of the centrality of science and all that goes with it in the national life of our country."
It is a fitting reminder of the importance of science.
It has inspired many.
It continues to inspire me and many others.
More recently, newly elected Fellow Professor Arthur Georges nicely captured the inspiration that the Shine Dome evokes for many of us. He said:
"My father realised that I had an interest in science. He was a politician, and he brought me to Canberra often and one year, he took me across to show me the Shine Dome.
"He explained that it was the centre of academic life for scientists. As is anyone who sees it for the first time, I was really impressed. But back then in 1968, it was really out of the ordinary. That memory stayed with me forever."
May more politicians bring their children here.
And I invite you to do the same.
As the Academy celebrates its 70th anniversary, the majestic Shine Dome celebrates its 65th.
Discussions to establish an Academy began in 1951 at a meeting in Canberra to talk about the future of science and technology in Australia.
Sir Mark Oliphant said, when seeking to convince others of the possibility of an Australian academy:
"If science for its own sake was to have coherence, there must be a means whereby that coherence could be expressed."
Because of the great talent and growing capability of Australian scientists, Oliphant was inspired to establish a new scientific identity closer to home.
And so, he did.
Oliphant became the Academy's first President.
It truly is a privilege to be serving you as the Academy's 20th President, building on the work of those who have come before me.
The 1950s were a time of post-war reconstruction when HC Coombs-a public servant and first Governor of the Reserve Bank-spoke about the social reconstruction.
It was a time when Australia built structures that recognised the value of evidence and institutions necessary for a stable democracy.
Coombs spoke about the need to bring to bear the full power of the research and technology sector to meet our national ambitions.
The need for the research sector to step up to the national challenge.
From this era were born institutions like the Australian Academy of Science and the ANU where I spent most of my academic life.
Not just established, but uniquely positioned to bring science to the service of the nation.
Our 70 years since illustrate an enviable record of achievement in shaping Australian science, its system and its people.
In our current geopolitical climate, amidst the pandemic, and to steer our way through climate change, I put to you that the need for the research sector to step up to the national challenge is as great as ever.
It is this changing environment, and the role science can and must play that has informed our strategic plan.
The Strategic Plan identifies three priorities:
- scientific leadership
- mobilising and transforming the Academy
- sustained strategic engagement.
In terms of scientific leadership, the Academy can and must continue to play a leading role in shaping the Australian scientific landscape.
Just as it was our scientific leadership that led to the establishment of national parks in Australia, the establishment of national astronomy infrastructure that sees Australia positioned today as a world leader in this discipline, and the founder of SAGE Science in Australia Gender Equity, it is our scientific leadership that means today we lead scientific cooperation efforts across the Asia-Pacific region via the International Science Council Regional Focal Point for Asia and the Pacific (ISC RFP-AP).
Consider for a moment the value of this mechanism to enable science diplomacy in amingst the geopolitical turmoil of our region and our time.
In this leadership role we have been able to make a significant contribution to the historic establishment of a Pacific Academy of Sciences.
An academy designed to bring together the region's expertise and empower local scholars to be part of solutions in their region and unite as a voice for science.
An academy designed to move away from a model that sees their region as a net importer of knowledge-rather, drawing on the unique knowledge of its own people to provide the Pacific with agency and a voice in shaping its destiny.
It will be launched next month in Samoa as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
And I am so proud of the Australian Academy of Science's role in assisting its establishment.
Early this year, it was the Academy's scientific leadership and sustained advocacy that secured protections for international research collaborations that are critical for our national interest.
Australia's Defence Export Controls framework has undergone significant change to enable license-free movement of goods, technology and services both within Australia and between AUKUS partners-that is, the UK and the US.
When first proposed, the framework and legislative changes did not adequately balance security risks with open collaboration and created an overly restrictive regime for research collaborations between countries outside of the AUKUS agreement.
The Academy strongly advocated for and achieved legislative amendments that provide protections for the license-free exchange of fundamental research between nations.
In addition, the definition of fundamental research is now enshrined in legislation, providing protections from possible future political maneuvers to change the definition without parliamentary scrutiny.
Frankly, the Academy held strong when others in the sector were willing to accept changes that would have placed at risk Australia's ability to engage knowledge vital to discovery research.
These hard-fought amendments strike a better balance between protecting Australia's national security while ensuring collaboration can continue to serve our national interest.
At the heart of the second strategic priority-mobilising and transforming the Academy-is you, our Fellows.
Together we have reviewed the National Committees, so they are poised for action, able to respond to the changing needs of disciplines.
Together we have re-designed our governance structures, aligned our resources and positioned ourselves to have the greatest possible impact. Together, we have recognised the need to significantly lift our engagement with Fellows, Ministers, early- and mid-career researchers, industry leaders, teachers, students and the broader community.
Together we are building a membership of the Academy that reflects the breadth of the modern scientific enterprise.
You might ask, why are National Committees, governance, engagement and disciplinary breadth important?
Because developing scientific advice and advocating for science to the highest offices of the land demands excellence in our fellowship, operations, systems and structures.
Because our ability to mobilise the unique assets of the Academy-the heart of which is you, our Fellowship-is critical to bring science to the service of the nation.
Because our ability to influence the journey of students studying science and maths and the teachers guiding them requires discipline and leadership.
Because our ability to empower the next generation of researchers and remove barriers that hold them back is vital for our future.
And because we must always ensure our independence remains uncompromised.
This relies on a growing investment corpus sufficient to sustain the Academy's activities.
We are ambitious for this nation.
We are ambitious for science.
We recognise that we need to operate at a greater scale.
And that is why we are redoubling our efforts to attract philanthropic support to grow our corpus and enable us to bring science to the service of the nation at the scale the current times demand.
We can. We must. And we will.
Our Strategic Plan also identifies a key challenge, namely: to deliver sought-after scientific advice that influences Australians' actions and contributes to global science.
That advice is drawn from your expertise.
It is valuable because the Academy is non-partisan.
It is valuable because we do not carry vested interests.
It is valuable because we are not beholden to any single institution.
And it is valuable because we have no skin in the game-except a better Australia.
Our only interest is ensuring expert evidence is shaping the decisions and actions of our people so the nation advances and everyone benefits.
It's a bold and challenging mission.
Over the last few years, we have provided sought-after independent scientific advice in areas as diverse as:
- artificial Intelligence
- Great Barrier Reef sustainability
- the management of long COVID
- national security matters
- national environmental law
- criminal justice outcomes
- technological transfer
- STEM skill development
- research infrastructure policy.
But there are many pressing issues that require scientific advice.
We have successfully argued the case for a wholesale review of Australia's outdated R&D system.
The strategic examination of Australia's R&D system was announced in the May Budget.
This review is the first step to align national efforts across the whole of government, industry, universities and philanthropy to create an environment where investment in R&D is coherent, strategic and scaled.
To inform this government review, the Academy is developing a 10-year plan to demonstrate how science needs to evolve to achieve our national ambitions.
The plan, titled 'Australian Science, Australia's Future: Science 2035', being led by Science Policy Secretary Ian Chubb, is assessing the capability of Australia's science system, its ability to compete and collaborate globally, and its contribution to the nation's economy, security, health and quality of life.
The Academy is convening experts from within our Fellowship and across the research and innovation sector to inform this initiative.
This 10-year plan will be published next year.
