The Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) welcomes the release of the Australian Government’s draft National Science and Research Priorities.

We strongly support the aim of the priorities to cut across traditional discipline and sector boundaries and target Australia’s biggest challenges over the coming decade.

The priorities have the potential to play a key role in driving research and innovation to meet Australia’s current and future needs. However, it is essential to consider the overarching context in which these priorities will be implemented.

It will be important to frame the priority aims in a clear, attainable and meaningful way.

To remain globally competitive in science and research, and ensure that we reap the economic, productivity and societal benefits of these endeavours, Australia must return gross domestic R&D expenditure (GERD) to a positive trajectory as a percentage of GDP – with a target of 3%. We urge the Government to use these priorities as a foundation to deliver the necessary investment in research and innovation to ensure the priorities can be effectively implemented within a strong scientific environment.

AAHMS urges the department to work closely with academia, governments, industry and others to identify the gaps and opportunities to develop this robust scientific ecosystem.