Dear friends,
We find ourselves at the end of 2025 under the heavy weight of a horrific and profound loss.
We at the Academy are shocked by the senseless antisemitic violence at Bondi beach. We stand with every Australian in condemning this evil act.
On behalf of the Academy, I extend my deepest condolences to the victims, their families, and all those impacted.
At times like these I am reminded that we all have a role to play when it comes to sustaining a respectful, stable and cohesive democracy and society, and the Academy's steadfast commitment to informing decision-making with evidence is vital in this regard.
Amid our collective grief, let us not lose sight of our shared values and the hopes of our nation and people to live peacefully together.
Below you will find the message I had intended to send you this week as we prepare to close the year.
Be safe and well this holiday season.
Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FRS FTSE
President, Australian Academy of Science
As this year draws to a close, I have been reflecting not only on what we have achieved together, but on what kind of future we are leaving the next generation.
Young and future Australians will confront major challenges including climate change, technological disruption, and mis- and disinformation.
In this emerging era, marked by geopolitical uncertainty and profound societal dilemmas, science is not a luxury. It is a strategic necessity.
Science underpins our prosperity, our security, our health, and our environment.
Until this year, no national effort had systematically assessed Australia's science capability against our nation's future needs.
In September, the Academy launched one of the most ambitious policy efforts in our history: Australian science, Australia's future: Science 2035. This study maps our national strengths, and our most serious gaps.
The findings are confronting but also empowering. For the first time, we now have a clear, evidence-based blueprint for action.
This year, the Academy has continued to speak plainly about what the R&D system needs.
We reaffirmed that development requires research; that fundamental discovery remains the wellspring of innovation.
In Australia, R&D investment is now so far behind the average OECD as a percentage of GDP invested in R&D, it would take an additional $33.4 billion dollars per annum just to get to parity.
So, we called for new, sustainable ways to fund research - including an ambitious proposal for a business R&D levy that can secure our sovereign capability for generations to come.
We advocated for renewed investment in national infrastructure, from supercomputing to the telescopes that will probe the deepest questions of our universe.
In a turbulent global environment, we stood up for Australia's strategic research interests. We strengthened international collaboration, worked to attract outstanding global talent, explored deeper connections with European research programs, celebrated new regional leadership through the Pacific Academy of Sciences, and strengthened our relationships across the Asia-Pacific region.
Through an Indigenous-led international research partnership, we took meaningful steps toward transforming how people create and share knowledge.
From championing healthy indoor air as a human right, to elevating national conversations on artificial intelligence, to making 23 evidence-based submissions to government, we ensured science was present where people make decisions.
We invested in the future through education, placing the work of our finest researchers directly into classrooms. And we celebrated excellence, welcoming new Fellows, honouring world-class achievements, and supporting early- and mid-career researchers to lead the next wave of discovery.
As we look towards next year, we await the final report of the strategic examination of Australia's R&D system, a once-in-a-generation opportunity for structural reform.
Much is riding on the outcome of this review. This is our opportunity to be courageous, to seize a better approach to science and technology. Because when productivity is declining, our research and innovation capability can unlock industrial diversification and economic growth.
It has been a privilege to lead the Academy this year as we have advocated, analysed, and proposed solutions - harnessing science and evidence for better decision-making at all levels of government and across the public sphere.
I am deeply grateful for the extraordinary generosity of our supporters, donors, Fellows, and the Academy secretariat, and all who have given their time, expertise, and philanthropic support.
In that vein, I am pleased to share our end-of-year supporter newsletter, highlighting the impact of giving in its many forms. Thank you for your invaluable contributions, which benefit our entire community.
As my Presidency draws to a close in May 2026, I feel deeply confident; not because the path ahead is easy, but because this Academy understands both the responsibility and the opportunity before us.
The decisions we make now will shape the nation we become.
Let us continue to choose science - boldly, wisely, and for the benefit of all.
Thank you.
Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season.
Professor Chennupati Jagadish AC PresAA FREng FRS FTSE
President, Australian Academy of Science
