What happens when Indigenous knowledge holders from northern Australia, a geneticist from India, an archaeologist from Indonesia and early career researchers sit down at the same table?
For the Griffith University-led ARC Centre of Excellence for Transforming Human Origins Research, this is where discovery begins.
The Centre aims to weave a multivocal story of the human story that connects us to our past and shapes our future. Awarded in 2025 and led by Griffith University, the Centre will position Australia at the forefront of global human origins research, uniting Australia's world-class research expertise, Indigenous knowledge and international partnerships to address some of humanity's biggest questions.
The Centre will create new opportunities for researchers and early career scientists, and build enduring partnerships across Africa, Asia and Australia. It will also establish new opportunities for Indigenous communities and global institutions to shape research into humanity's shared past.
At the Centre's pre-establishment workshop in Brisbane, more than 50 researchers, community partners and cultural leaders from Australia and around the world came together to shape the Centre's research agenda and develop new projects. The group's shared challenge was to transform the way in which we understand the human story, while ensuring the knowledge, capabilities and partnerships generated through the Centre delivered lasting benefits for Australia and global communities.
"Our conversations moved beyond fossils, genetics and archaeology, and focused on a bigger question: how can research be done differently?," Centre Director Professor Michael Petraglia said.
"Across three days, our teams explored how Indigenous knowledge, community priorities, scientific innovation and international collaboration could work together to answer some of humanity's oldest questions."
They discussed data governance, museum collections, cultural heritage, new technologies and the importance of ensuring communities are partners in research.
"Transformation means creating a two-way partnership in which Indigenous knowledge, including knowledge held within traditional Vedda communities, can help shape the questions we ask and how we understand human history," said Dr Oshan Wedage, a Partner Investigator within the Centre from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka.
For many attendees - who came from diverse research backgrounds including genomics and ancient DNA, repatriation of human remains, Indigenous knowledge systems, archaeology, palaeontology, geography and climate science - the workshop represented a new model for research built on co-design, respect and shared decision-making.
Early career researchers worked alongside established Australian and international leaders, gaining access to new research networks, technologies and collaborative opportunities. International partners from Africa and Asia brought regional expertise that will strengthen Australia's capacity to lead globally connected human origins research.
"International collaboration, especially with a country like Australia, which has been a very important partner in the development of our Institute, is very important to developing a young research institute like ours," said Dr Dipuo Kgotleng from the University of Johannesburg and a Centre Partner Investigator.
"Through research and training collaboration that we foresee with the establishment of this Centre of Excellence, our students will be provided opportunities to learn from global leaders in human origins research while establishing research networks for the future."
Indigenous representatives helped shape conversations about what meaningful collaboration should look like in practice.
The workshop has spurred the generation of new research projects that combine Australian and international expertise across disciplines, regions and knowledge systems. Professor Petraglia said the Centre would strengthen Australia's knowledge economy by building research capability, developing highly skilled researchers, attracting international collaboration and creating new opportunities for science and innovation.
"Because transforming human origins research is not simply about uncovering where our ancestors came from," Professor Petraglia said.
"It is about bringing together the people, perspectives and communities needed to understand our shared past and, in doing so, help shape a more connected future."
