September 14, 2026
As Australia and the United States mark the 75th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty, the Go8 is leading a high-level delegation to strengthen research and innovation partnerships in the technologies that will underpin future economic prosperity, sovereign capability and national security.
Australia and the United States confront a far more contested strategic environment than when ANZUS was signed 75 years ago. Intensifying geopolitical competition, rapid technological change and growing pressure on nations to develop sovereign capability have elevated research and innovation from a policy priority to a strategic imperative.
Against this backdrop, the Group of Eight (Go8) will lead a high-level delegation to the United States this week to strengthen collaboration in the critical technologies, research capabilities and innovation ecosystems that increasingly underpin both nations' security, economic resilience and strategic advantage.
The mission follows recent high-level Australia-US discussions on AUKUS, advanced technologies, defence industrial cooperation and economic security, reflecting the growing recognition that research capability, talent and innovation capacity are now central elements of national power.
Led by Go8 Chair Professor Deborah Terry AC, the delegation includes Vice-Chancellors and senior research leaders from Australia's leading research-intensive universities, alongside former Chief of Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr AO DSC MVO and former ASIS Director-General Paul Symon AO, Co-Chairs of the Go8 Defence and Security Committee.
Group of Eight Chief Executive Vicki Thomson said the mission reflected the growing importance of research and innovation to both national competitiveness and strategic security.
"This visit comes at a critical time. Strategic competition has intensified, technology has become inseparable from national security, and trusted international partnerships have taken on new significance."
"As Australia and the United States celebrate 75 years of the ANZUS alliance, it is worth recognising that the partnership is increasingly underpinned not only by military cooperation, but by shared research, technology and innovation capabilities."
"Research has become central to how countries respond to global challenges, build sovereign capability and secure economic prosperity. Trusted research partnerships are therefore now more important than ever."
"The United States is the Go8's single largest collaborative research partner globally, and essential to our capacity to undertake critical research in areas of national priority. Strengthening that relationship and advancing shared approaches to research security is in the interest of both Australia's national capability and the broader Australia-US alliance."
"As governments deepen cooperation through initiatives such as AUKUS and broader defence and technology partnerships, universities have a vital role to play in developing the knowledge, talent and breakthroughs that make those partnerships possible."
"The next generation of economic growth, national security and strategic advantage will be determined by nations that can successfully translate research excellence into capability. Research collaboration is not peripheral to the alliance. It is increasingly central to it."
"This mission will deepen collaboration and co-investment with leading US universities, industry and government agencies in areas directly linked to sovereign capability and economic resilience, including advanced technologies and defence-related research."
"For both Australia and the United States, that means accelerating breakthroughs in quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and other strategic capabilities that will shape the decades ahead."
Hosted by the Australian Embassy in Washington DC and the Australian Consulate-General in New York, the program includes high level meetings with US government officials, policymakers, industry leaders, think tanks and leading research institutions.
The delegation will convene a Go8-US Research, Industry and Investment Roundtable, to deepen Go8 engagement with US counterparts, identify practical opportunities for collaborative innovation and investment, and strengthen understanding of emerging industry demand, technology trends and commercialisation models.
The Go8 will also host a strategic dialogue with leading US think tanks examining the future operating environment for research, technology and innovation partnerships in an increasingly contested global landscape.
The mission underscores the Go8's role as a strategic national asset, building the international research partnerships that strengthen Australia's sovereign capability, support the objectives of AUKUS and the Australia-US alliance, and help secure the technologies, industries and workforce that will drive Australian prosperity and security for decades to come.
