Challenges
There are six challenges we are assisting the nation to overcome, and turn to Australia's unique advantage:
- Health and wellbeing: Enhance the health of Australians through preventative, personalised, biomedical and digital health services.
- Food Security and quality: Achieve sustainable security through new AgriFood products, technology and innovation for Australia.
- Secure Australia and region: Help safeguard Australia from threats (terrorism, regional instability, pandemics, biosecurity, disasters, and cyber- attacks).
- Resilient and valuable environments: Enhancing the resilience, sustainable use, and value of our natural and built environments, including by mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate and global change.
- Sustainable energy and resources: Build competitiveness, sustainability and security, nationally and regionally, of our energy and minerals systems and resources while lowering emissions to Net Zero.
- Future Industries: Help create Australia's future industries and jobs by collaborating to boost innovation performance and promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills.
The challenges were identified through analysis of our own trend modelling and forecasting, including the Australian National Outlook report, engagement with our partners in industry, government and academia, and a review of Australian and international priorities (including the Australian Science and Research Priorities and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals).
To assist Australia in responding to the challenges, CSIRO is working with government, universities, industry and the community through our missions program to bolster Australia’s COVID-19 recovery and build long term resilience.
The program of large scale, major scientific and collaborative research initiatives, is aimed at solving some of Australia’s greatest challenges, with a focus on outcomes that lead to positive impact, new jobs and economic growth.