Media Statement: December 2024 Statement on funding cuts to New Zealand Marsden Fund – Humanities and Social Science Research While it is not usual practice for ACOLA or the Australian Learned Academies to comment on the policy and funding decisions of other nations, we note with great concern, last week’s decision by the…
Full ReportOverview Report Mapping Australia’s Indonesia Research Capability KONEKSI commissioned ACOLA, who, in partnership with their member Academy, the Australian Academy of the Humanities, provided a status update on Australia’s existing knowledge and capability with Indonesia. The report, focusing on Australian data and perspectives, outlines the current state of Australia-Indonesia bilateral research partnerships, highlights…
Media Release: August 2024 The Board of the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Prerana Mehta as its next Chief Executive Officer. After joining CSIRO as Head of Global in 2022, Prerana became Head of Strategic Partnerships Group in 2023, where she was responsible for growing the organisation’s…
Generative AI – language models and multimodal foundation models The current ‘ChatGPT moment’ is provoking public conversation about the role AI should have in Australian society. In February 2023, Australia’s National Science and Technology Council, at the request of the Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon Ed Husic MP, commissioned a report exploring the…
Media Release: October 2022 We can do better: training Australian workers to be more responsive to disability With 18 per cent of Australians living with disability, sectors including education, healthcare, justice and social services are being challenged to respond better to their clients and customers. Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth MP said the Albanese…
Media Release: October 2022 ACOLA puts words into action on disability responsiveness Some of Australia’s leading academics have applied their research results closer to home with the adoption of six key principles and five key areas for action on disability inclusiveness. The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) put four professional sectors under the microscope…
Media Release: September 2022 Achieving Australia’s Energy Transition: Funding and translating knowledge The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) is pleased to release its next set of reports under the Australian Energy Transition Research Plan. The new papers outline the current state of Australia’s funding and translation of Australia’s energy transition research. While recent policy…
Media Release: June 2022 A Data-Enabled Research Future for Australia The pandemic and recent natural disasters have reinforced the importance of rapid access to data to inform timely decision making. Coordinated and integrated data infrastructure is vital to making data available when it’s needed for emergencies, and for answering research questions about the world around…