Australia’s Learned Academies Partner With the ARDC for Excellence in Data-Enabled Research

The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) is pleased to launch the Australian Learned Academies Data Interworking Network project, which will develop a cohesive agenda across Australia’s five Learned Academies to support excellent data-enabled research.

The project will combine the leadership and strategic insights of the academies with the national data infrastructure expertise of the ARDC. The ARDC also welcomes the valued assistance of the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA).

Australia’s learned academies individually and collectively via ACOLA contribute expert advice to inform national policy, and develop innovative solutions to complex global problems and emerging national needs. They are a natural locus for research policy advocacy, leadership and strategic planning – and the ARDC is a natural locus for sector-wide research data infrastructure. These elements combined are key enablers for an evolving data-enabled research system.

The ARDC champions making research data FAIR — findable, assessable, interoperable and reusable — with members of Australia’s wider research community, funding agencies and publishers, to achieve maximum research impact.

The academies individually and collectively are committed to ensuring researchers have access to the best tools and resources to enable research. However, for research within and across domains to have the most significant impact, we must extract the maximum potential from data.

Environmental scans by each academy will identify how data is used by their Fellows, what strategic data assets their research communities need for world class research, as well as what obstacles and enablers exist for harnessing the power of data in research.

Cross-academy analysis and information sharing will contribute to creating a coherent and coordinated data agenda across Australia’s academies that enables Australia’s researchers to address our society’s greatest challenges.

Rosie Hicks, CEO, ARDC, said: “We welcome the opportunity to lead this exciting project alongside Australia’s five Learned Academies and ACOLA to elevate data-enabled research across the nation.”

Prof John Shine, Chair of the ACOLA Board and President of the Australian Academy of Science, said: “I look forward to the academies and the ARDC engaging closely through this project to better understand and guide Australia’s research data infrastructure, now and into the future, to ensure it is fit for purpose.”

Australia’s five Learned Academies are:

• Australian Academy of Science (AAS)
• Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)
• Australian Academy of the Humanities (AAH)
• Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA)
• Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS)

This is a 12-month co-investment project between the ARDC, Australia’s five Learned Academies and ACOLA, ending mid-2022.

Learn more about the Australian Learned Academies Data Interworking Network.

The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.