The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research supports science and technology (S&T) collaboration with a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific and African region including: China, India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and Taiwan.
Collaboration with Japan
Japan is a leading global science and research power with the second largest expenditure on research and development in the world.
Australia has a long standing science and research relationship with Japan with a treaty established in 1980. The scientific communities of Australia and Japan have complementary strengths and shared interests in a range of areas including marine science, biomedical sciences, chemistry, and astronomy. Japan’s continued investment in science and research presents opportunities for collaboration with Australian researchers. For example, cooperating on cutting-edge science and research in the field of marine science will help us to find solutions to global problems, such as those associated with climate change.
Collaboration with Korea
Korea invests more than 3% of its GDP in research and development, one of the highest proportions in the world. Korea has an impressively high level of business investment in research and development and the Korean Government is keen to ensure that this level of investment continues.
Through the International Science Linkages (ISL) Program, the Australian Government has supported a number of bilateral science and research activities with Korea including:
- Two bilateral scientific symposia in 2007 and 2008 in conjunction with the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation and the Australian Academy of Science. The first of these workshops on Light Alloys took place in Korea. The second workshop took place in Perth in October 2008, on the topic of Protecting Freshwater Resources from Climate Change and Urbanisation.
- The Australian National University has received funding to work with the Korean National Fusion Research Centre to investigate the use of advanced optical technologies to optimise the performance of fusion reactors.
Collaboration with New Zealand
Science and research collaboration has become an integral part of the overall Australia-New Zealand relationship.
The current Closer Economic Relations arrangements and the cultural, language and legal similarities between the two countries facilitate researcher to researcher and institutional links. The close trans-Tasman relationship is supported by New Zealand’s inclusion as a member of Australia’s Commonwealth, States & Territory Advisory Council on Innovation (CSTACI). CSTACI is a high level advisory council on innovation to enhance coordination of innovation and science policy across Australia and with New Zealand.
The Australia-New Zealand science and technology (S&T) relationship is very active and growing rapidly. Most areas of scientific collaboration between the two countries are in areas of mutual strength, including: Marine & Freshwater Biology, Ecology/Environment, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Medicine, Geoscience (including Oceanography), Pharmacology and Plant & Animal Science.
Square Kilometre Array Collaboration with New Zealand
In August 2009, Australia and New Zealand governments agreed to join forces to bid for the A$2.5 billion international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. The SKA is able to see back to the formation of the first stars and is one of the world’s most significant science projects, on a par with the Large Hadron Collider in Europe.
Extending the SKA bid to include New Zealand will significantly add to the scientific outcomes of the project and could possibly see two stations constructed in New Zealand with an array of radio telescopes. New Zealand’s role in the project is viewed as crucial to building the global collaboration required for the SKA to reach its full potential. If the bid is successful, the SKA will not only significantly increase Australia’s and New Zealand’s scientific capabilities; it will result in economic benefits and spinoffs in a number of areas, including supercomputing, data transmission, renewable energy, construction and manufacturing.
Collaboration with Singapore
Singapore is Australia's main South-East Asian partner in science and research. Singapore is also Australia's largest trading partner in South East Asia and as such the bilateral relationship with Singapore is one of Australia's closest and most comprehensive in the region.
The scientific communities of each country have complementary strengths and shared interests in a range of areas including biotechnology, energy, engineering and information sciences.
Recent bilateral science and research activities with Singapore include:
- An Emerging Research Leaders Program for young scientists from each country which will target early to mid-career researchers with high-level scientific ability and the potential to be future science leaders. Jointly administered by A*STAR and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, seven scientists from Singapore visited Australia in October 2009. Australian researchers will visit Singapore in April 2010.
- An Australia-Singapore workshop on energy research, held in Canberra 15-16 June 2009. With the theme an important issue for both our economies, senior Australian and Singapore participants examined common issues and discussed potential areas for mutual scientific cooperation.
Collaboration with South Africa
South Africa is Australia’s major science collaboration partner in Africa.
Important bilateral research fields include ecology, evolution and geology. In recognising the importance of Australia-South Africa bilateral science and technology collaboration, a treaty level Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation was signed in 2006. The Australia-South Africa Joint Science and Technology Committee held its first meeting in February 2009, at which a Program of Cooperation was agreed.
Under the Program of Cooperation, the agreed priority areas of bilateral research include: biotechnology, health sciences, space science and technology, Earth observations, energy research, nanotechnology, photonics, water management and research, mining technology, agricultural research, research management information systems and Centres of Excellence.
A series of workshops will be held by mid 2011 under the Program of Cooperation. Two workshops will be research-based, the first to be on low carbon technologies. Other workshops are planned on science and innovation policy.
The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Program
In February 2009, the governments of Australia and South Africa announced that they would work more closely in partnership to advance the global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) program. This will include collaboration in the development of a coordinated and cooperative scientific and technical program for the SKA pathfinder telescopes, the South African MeerKAT and the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP).
Collaboration with Taiwan
Taiwan has demonstrated emerging strengths in nanotechnology and sustainable energy systems and has increased spending on research and development in recent years.
A recent initiative includes a joint Australia-Taiwan Strategic Workshop on Water and Energy, held in Sydney 21-22 May 2009. The workshop provided an insight to areas of future collaboration, technology transfer and enhanced opportunity for strong ongoing linkages.