The Australian Government has released the final 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, which outlines research infrastructure priorities essential for building Australian research excellence into the future.

Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AO led the development of the Roadmap, supported by an Expert Working Group.

The Roadmap identifies nine focus areas for infrastructure investment:

• digital data and e–research platforms
• platforms for humanities arts and social sciences
• characterisation (techniques for understanding the properties of materials)
• advanced fabrication and manufacturing
• advanced physics and astronomy
• earth and environmental systems
• biosecurity
• complex biology
• therapeutic development.

The 2016 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap is now available for download. Further information about the Roadmap process is available on the Department of Education and Training website.

In 2018, the Australian Government announced its response to the Roadmap, which is available here.