A strong science and innovation system—focused on developing and retaining skills, generating new ideas through research and turning them into commercial success—can contribute to Australia’s future prosperity. Science and innovation can also provide the tools to solve complex problems and adapt to social and environmental challenges such as population ageing, land degradation and climate change. Within that system, research plays a critical role.
A range of organisations in Australia play major roles in research across the public and private sectors, and across national and state and territory jurisdictions. They include:
- 39 higher education institutions (universities)
- the portfolio’s science agencies—the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
- organisations such as Cooperative Research Centres and Centres of Excellence
- some large, and thousands of small, private companies in all industries such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing and services.
The Education, Science and Training portfolio has a major role in ensuring that the research system operates to maximum effectiveness and delivers real value for the money invested in it. The Department of Education, Science and Training delivers a range of policies and programmes to:
- strengthen Australia’s ability to generate ideas and undertake research
- strengthen greater collaboration and linkages between business, universities and publicly funded research agencies
- support investment in, and access to, world class research infrastructure, including information and communications technology, in Australia and overseas
- accelerate the commercialisation and utilisation of public sector research
- develop and retain Australian skills for operating in the fast-paced global economy.
This includes policies and programmes being delivered under Backing Australia’s Ability – Building our Future through Science and Innovation 
.
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