Congratulations to the researchers in Australia’s top 250

The researchers and scientists featured in The Australian’s 2025 Research magazine deserve to be congratulated. says Education Minister Jason Clare.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. Picture: Martin Ollman

Australia’s researchers grapple with the challenges of today to build a better world tomorrow. Look around and you can see the fingerprints of Australian researchers everywhere. From environmental and industrial innovations to the medicine we take or the technology we hold in our hands.

Australia punches above its weight internationally when it comes to our research output. We are home to about 0.3 per cent of the world’s population. Yet as a nation we produce more than 3 per cent of the world’s research.

This hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of bright minds and decades of investment in the work of Australian researchers, our education systems and research facilities – year in, year out.

That’s why the Australian government continues to invest in our National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). This investment currently supports about 100,000 researchers.

It’s why we continue to invest in research through institutions such as the Australian Research Council, which this financial year will be provided with more than $1 billion in National Competitive Grants across the sciences and humanities. And across the Australian government, total investment in research and development is projected to reach about $16.5 billion over the next four years.

Research is critical to Australia’s economic growth and productivity. It’s a vital part of the Australian government’s plan for a Future Made in Australia. That’s why the Australian government is investing $2.2 billion to support researchers to commercialise research, with programs such as Australia’s Economic Accelerator supporting collaboration and driving cutting-edge research in priority areas.

Congratulations to every researcher, scientist and institution featured in this year’s publication. Each is an example of Australian research excellence, across some 250 individual fields of research.

Your work is changing lives here and around the world, and I thank you for it.

Jason Clare is the federal Minister for Education.