The Australian Research Translation and Innovation Consortium (ARTIC) has officially launched in Sydney, bringing together research leaders from across Australia and New Zealand to strengthen collaboration and create clearer pathways between research and real-world impact.

The launch, held at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour on 3 August, followed ARTIC’s strategic workshop, which brought together representatives from 20 Australian ARC Centres of Excellence and two New Zealand Centres of Research Excellence, alongside leaders from industry, government and the broader innovation ecosystem.

ARTIC has emerged from a shared recognition among research centres that while individual centres have built exceptional expertise, networks and capability, many face similar challenges when translating research, developing partnerships, engaging beyond academia and sustaining capability beyond individual funding cycles. Founded by a group of ARC Centres of Excellence, with Swinburne University of Technology as co-founder and host institution, ARTIC provides an independent, sector-led platform through which centres can share expertise, build capability and address challenges that are difficult to tackle in isolation.

The consortium has launched at a significant time for Australia’s research and innovation system. OECD data shows Australia’s gross expenditure on research and development was estimated at 1.68 per cent of GDP in 2023, compared with an OECD average of 2.70 per cent.

In March, the Australian Government released Ambitious Australia, the final report of the Strategic Examination of Research and Development. The report makes 20 recommendations across areas including research impact, foundational research, business investment and incentives, access to capital, workforce capability and government leadership.

This was followed in July by the final report of the Australian Research Council’s National Competitive Grants Program Policy Review, which refocuses the program on excellent early-stage research while seeking to deepen collaboration across the research system, including with industry, government, community and other end users.

Against this changing landscape, ARTIC aims to strengthen the pathways that connect research with economic, social, environmental, cultural and policy impact.

ARTIC Chair and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), Professor Matthew Bailes, said the consortium represents a new model of collaboration across Australia’s research sector.

“For decades, Australia’s Centres of Excellence have generated remarkable discoveries, developed new technologies and trained highly skilled researchers. ARTIC provides an opportunity to connect these capabilities more strategically and create greater impact beyond the boundaries of individual centres,” Professor Bailes said.

“This is not about creating another organisation. It’s about creating stronger connections, sharing knowledge and building a collective voice that helps Australia maximise the value of its research investment.”

Nobel Laureate, former Australian National University Vice-Chancellor and OzGrav Associate Investigator Professor Brian Schmidt AC delivered the opening welcome at the launch, with Professor Bailes delivering the ARTIC keynote.

Professor Schmidt said working collectively could help address fragmentation in Australia’s research translation ecosystem.

“Working together we can use the collective expertise to embed commercial thinking early on in our research, provide appropriate mentoring and support to those with entrepreneurial ideas, and better connect our knowledge to the people and capital that can take an idea to a real-world outcome,” Professor Schmidt said.

The workshop’s opening session focused on the national research and innovation landscape, with Professor Schmidt, former Australian Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb AC and Science & Technology Australia CEO Ryan Winn contributing to the discussion. Professor Chubb was one of four members of the independent expert panel that undertook the Strategic Examination of Research and Development and produced the Ambitious Australia report.

ARTIC Consortium Lead and one of the consortium’s founding architects, Diana Haikal, said ARTIC was established in response to the growing need to strengthen research translation nationally.

“There is an incredible breadth of research happening across Australia. However, translating discoveries into products, services, policies and businesses remains a challenge. Researchers often face barriers in navigating commercialisation pathways, finding industry partners and accessing the necessary networks to scale innovation,” Ms Haikal said.

“ARTIC is about helping bridge that gap and creating continuity and longevity for researchers. It will strengthen how we collaborate on research translation and industry engagement to deliver national benefit.”

Importantly, ARTIC’s focus extends beyond commercialisation. The consortium recognises that research translation takes many forms, from new technologies, products and businesses to changes in policy, practice and society.

As ARTIC grows, it will expand its network to include research centres and networks across Australia and New Zealand, spanning the sciences, technology, humanities and social sciences, alongside industry, government agencies, investors and innovation partners.

Swinburne University of Technology Vice-President, Innovation and Enterprise, Dr Werner van der Merwe, said ARTIC presented an opportunity to better connect Australia’s research strengths with industry and innovation.

“Australia is home to world-class research. Through ARTIC, we now have an opportunity to bring together leading minds across research, industry and innovation to turn that expertise into value for communities, industries and the economy,” Dr van der Merwe said.

Over time, ARTIC will provide a coordinated network that connects expertise, opportunities and resources across institutions and sectors, making it easier to forge pathways from research to real-world impact.

At a time when Australia is reconsidering how it funds, supports and translates research, ARTIC will turn individual strengths into collective capability and give research centres a stronger voice in shaping what comes next.

ARTIC Launch Gallery: See highlights from the ARTIC launch in Sydney and explore the full photo gallery.

View the ARTIC Launch Gallery