US Government Intervenes in Australia-US Research

The following statement is attributable to: Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FTSE, President, Australian Academy of Science

The Australian Academy of Science urges the Australian Government to give serious and urgent attention to recent actions by American authorities.

Individual Australian scientists have been surveyed to disclose their institution's compatibility with United States (US) foreign and domestic policy in ways that could have negative repercussions for Australia's strategic capability and advancement, and would contravene Australian laws and international statutes that govern scienceⁱ.

If responses to the survey lead to reductions or cessation of US-Australian scientific collaborations, it will directly threaten our scientific and technological capability and diminish Australia's strategic capability is areas of national interest such as defence, health, disaster mitigation and response, AI and quantum technology.

Any reasonable assessment of the survey indicates that US government funded research in Australia could be terminated because an Australian institution - not the research project - has links with several named countries, or links with the United Nations and its agencies, or impacts the protection and promotion of specific religions, amongst other factors.

The magnitude of the problem

The US is Australia's largest research partner. In 2024 alone, US government research funding involving Australian research organisations totalled AUD386 million. This does not include in-kind contributions or provision of critical research infrastructure.

This is significant:

• As a minimum it is the equivalent to 43 per cent of the funding the Australian Government provides in research grants via the Australian Research Council.
• Forty percent of Australian publications in the physical sciences involve American collaborators. This includes research in strategic areas including quantum science, space science and other sciences that underpin AUKUS Pillar II advanced capabilities and Australia's critical technologies list.
• Twenty-five per cent of Australia's publications in biomedical and clinical sciences involve US collaborators. Australian researchers collaborate with these organisations to develop vaccines and medical products that underpin Australia's heath security.

What needs to be done

1. The Australian Academy of Science urges the Australian Government to actively and urgently engage with its American counterparts to mitigate risks and minimise the impact on Australian strategic capability. A wait-and-see approach could leave us dangerously unprepared.
2. Australia has made significant and commendable efforts to avoid and manage foreign interference in Australian research and technological activities. The Australian Government must remain committed to these efforts and resist foreign interference, regardless the actor.
3. Strategic guidance must be urgently provided to research institutions as they consider their response to the survey and as they are faced with choosing to uphold Australian law or retaining contracts with American organisations. This requires leadership and direction from the highest level of government.
4. The Australian Government must be prepared to respond to restrictions that could flow from these initiatives, and to do so via consultation with the science and technology sector.
5. The Australian Government must immediately act to diversify risk by expanding the geographic footprint of Australia's international research collaborations. In particular, key opportunities exist today to boost collaboration with Europe via the Horizon Europe program.

The consequences of inaction are profound. Australia must protect its ability to advance its strategic capabilities, which at the moment rely on working with the best minds globally, and accessing world-leading research infrastructure and innovations. Inaction has consequences for Australians and their way of life.

Examples of capability relying on US funding and collaboration

The Academy does not imply that the following capabilities are linked to the recipients of the survey issued by US authorities. They are provided to illustrate the significance to Australia of international research collaboration with the US and demonstrate why strategic and sensitive management at the highest level of government is required before it is too late.

• Cyclone tracking capability: real-time data essential for disaster resilience and responses that save Australian lives. Observational systems we rely on - including 4,000 ocean-monitoring robots - are funded and launched by the US through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Each year, around 10 per cent of ocean robots are replaced, ensuring we have the latest data and technology for monitoring, forecasting and responding to extreme weather events. Without US collaboration, Australia would lose the benefit of an early warning system, impacting our ability to prepare Australians for adverse weather events.
• Onshore mRNA vaccine manufacturing: in December 2024 Moderna, an American biotechnology company, established the southern hemisphere's first large-scale mRNA manufacturing facility in Melbourne. It also facilitates mRNA research in partnership with leading Australian research institutions. This research and manufacturing capability provides Australians with locally manufactured vaccines and supports mRNA studies in respiratory health and infectious diseases.

ⁱ Article 8 of the International Science Council's Statutes https://council.science/our-work/freedom-and-responsibilities-in-science/. The right to share in and benefit from advances in science and technology is also enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as is the right to engage in scientific enquiry, pursue and communicate knowledge, and associate freely in such activities.