We are a country bursting with intelligent, inquisitive, passionate people who undertake research in order to make a positive contribution to our world. And yet, the state of science and research in Australia is dire:

• Funding is ever-declining and there are clear biases in its distribution.
• Work performance models do not incentivise researchers and academics to translate their knowledge into “real world” outcomes.
• The workforce that conducts research and teaches the next generation of researchers has become increasingly casualised and reliant on fixed term contracts.

Tonight’s Respect Research Forum brought together Prof Peter Doherty (Nobel Laureate and immunologist, @ProfPCDoherty), Dr Krystal Evans (CEO of BioMelbourne and medical research scientist, @dr_krystal), Adam Bandt (Greens MP, @AdamBandt), and Jeannie Rea (President of the National Tertiary Education Union, @NTEUNational) to discuss these and other major challenges facing researchers in Australia.

If we don’t support research in Australia, we won’t have innovation. Without innovation, we won’t have the kind of society that we aspire to achieve and maintain: a society that makes a meaningful contribution to the state of the world. Without innovation, without the growth that new ideas promise and deliver, how can we expect our economy to flourish in the modern age?

Here are my sketchnotes from the forum. Please share widely and talk to your colleagues, friends, and family about why research in Australia is critical to our country’s future! Log onto the Respect Research website to learn more about Australia’s incredible history of research innovations that have made lasting positive impacts worldwide.

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