CSIRO’s vision for a science-led economic recovery
The national science agency will invest $100 million a year in a new mission aimed at creating new jobs and growing the economy.
Building a hydrogen industry that would reduce emissions but not hurt the economy is a key pillar of the national science agency’s vision for Australia’s COVID-19 recovery.
Chief executive Larry Marshall has announced the CSIRO will invest $100 million annually in new missions, including increasing resilience and preparedness against pandemics and natural disasters.
In an address to the National Press Club on Wednesday, Dr Marshall said the CSIRO would work with the brightest minds across the research sector and industry to create a hydrogen industry that would generate a new “clean energy” export industry.
“A future where we save the $170 billion of export dollars we already create from coal, LNG and iron ore by building an Australian hydrogen industry to reduce the emissions but not the profits,” Dr Marshall said.
“Where we transform Australian mineral commodities into unique, higher-value products like critical energy metals that deliver higher profit and sovereign supply.”
Overcoming Australia’s growing resistance to antibiotics and helping farmers mitigate climate impacts to drive Australian-grown food exports to $100 billion a year are other priorities.
Monitoring water resources from space, ending plastic waste by reinventing the way it is made and recycled, and keeping tech jobs onshore by doubling the number of small and medium businesses benefiting from Australian science by 2025 are also on the list.
Dr Marshall said the CSIRO was drawing on its 100-year history to develop the missions with its partners to support the nation at this “tough time”.
“This generation is living through a perfect storm of bushfires, pandemic and recession,” he said.
“Never in our lifetime has a country, or the world, turned to scientists in the way they are now.”
Dr Marshall said efforts to find a vaccine for COVID-19, “flatten the curve” and contain the disease had sparked unprecedented levels of collaboration – which he believes will accelerate Australia’s recovery, create new jobs, and grow its economy.
Re-hiring women, part-time workers, and early career researchers who were disproportionately impacted by cost-cutting during the pandemic will help the push for a science-led economic recovery.
“We’re already seeing a huge number of companies both here in Australia and globally lean into the idea of missions and bring additional funding,” Dr Marshall said, adding there was an opportunity for university researchers to benefit if that continues.
Dr Marshall said the CSIRO was prepared to respond to COVID-19 because its research revealed the threat of a pandemic four years ago.
“COVID-19 will continue to disrupt, but Australia can harness this disruption to build a stronger, more resilient country in the process,” he said.
“This is important because there will be more pandemics and more disruption.”
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