The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR) is developing a 2011 Strategic Roadmap for Australian Research Infrastructure (2011 Roadmap), which will articulate Australia’s national research infrastructure priority areas

(Capability areas).

The 2011 Roadmap will inform future decisions on where Australia should make strategic infrastructure investments to further develop its research capacity and improve research outcomes over the next five to ten years. The 2011 Roadmap will aim to consider new or emerging areas of research which may require different types of infrastructure in the future, and determine whether the current mix of Capability areas continues to meet researchers’ needs.

The 2011 Roadmap will consider priorities in an international context, reflecting the international, collaborative nature of modern research and the important role of collaborative research infrastructure in bringing researchers together. Two previous Roadmaps for Australian Research Infrastructure have been developed. The first was released in 2006 (85)as part of the implementation of the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS (45)). The second, the 2008 Strategic Roadmap for Australian Research Infrastructure (93), built on the 2006 Roadmap and presented a renewed view of the priority areas for strategic research infrastructure investments. The 2008 Roadmap formed the basis for the Australian Government’s 2009 Super Science Initiative (33).

The 2011 Roadmap will once again focus on Capability areas, and as such it will not aim to identify specific items of infrastructure, or evaluate current funded facilities in each of the Capability areas. The 2011 Roadmap should identify areas where public investment in research infrastructure will make a significant difference to Australia’s research and innovation outcomes. At the same time as this Roadmap is being developed, the National Research Infrastructure Council (NRIC) is finalising a Strategic Framework for Research Infrastructure Investment.

It is intended the Strategic Framework will provide a high-level policy framework, which will include principles to guide the development of policy advice and the design of programs related to the funding of research infrastructure by the Australian Government. Roadmapping has been identified in the Strategic Framework Discussion Paper as the most appropriate prioritisation mechanism for national, collaborative research infrastructure. The strategic identification of Capability areas through a consultative roadmapping process was also validated in the report of the 2010 NCRIS Evaluation (45).

The 2011 Roadmap is primarily concerned with medium to large-scale research infrastructure. However, any landmark infrastructure (typically involving an investment in excess of $100 million over five years from the Australian Government) requirements identified in this process will be noted. NRIC has also developed a ‘Process to identify and prioritise Australian Government landmark research infrastructure investments’ which is currently under consideration by the government as part of broader deliberations relating to research infrastructure.

NRIC will have strategic oversight of the development of the 2011 Roadmap as part of its overall policy view of research infrastructure.

Responses to the Discussion Paper should be sent to
[email protected] by COB Wednesday, 4 May 2011.
 
Following analysis of the responses to the Discussion Paper, an
Exposure Draft Roadmap will be developed and released for further
consultation in June 2011