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Mission-oriented Innovation

Mission-oriented innovation – an approach to science, technology and innovation epitomised in the 20th century by the space race – has re-emerged as a vehicle for transformational change in addressing the challenges of this century.

Once described as ‘big science solving big problems’, it is now being reimagined as a mobilisation of coordinated and sustained efforts across disciplines and sectors, incorporating a broad range of perspectives and interests, to deliver impact and build innovation system capability for the long term.

Responding to climate change and the risk of biodiversity collapse, ensuring water and food security, maintaining human health and wellbeing, addressing regional instability and tackling the decline in public trust and social cohesion are complex and interdependent challenges. The level of complexity and urgency of these challenges requires new thinking and new forms of collaboration from public institutions, industry, the research sector, civil society and the community.

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Partner with us to tackle Australia’s greatest challenges

Our challenges

identified by trend forecasting and collaboration

Large scale, major research collaboration

There are six challenges we are assisting the nation to overcome, and turn to Australia's unique advantage. CSIRO is working with the government, universities, industry and the community to develop and deliver a missions program to bolster Australia’s COVID-19 recovery and build long term resilience.

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Convening missions in Australia

Inclusive engagement, partnership and collaboration

CSIRO delivers research and technology needed to address national challenges. However, missions are focused on complex problems that demand broader sociotechnical responses and capability. The missions leverage capacity across the innovation system by convening, partnering, and integrating with others to achieve holistic solutions.

They are flexible in their collaboration approach. These approaches are specified by the activities and stakeholder preferences for the problems being tackled. By being flexible, the intention is to limit barriers for engagement with those who have a critical role in building solutions.

By coming together around shared goals, we can align our efforts to achieve more than we could alone.

Missions

Catalysing Australia's Biosecurity

This initiative is being jointly developed with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. We are working with a wide range of partners to drive innovation and transformation across Australia's biosecurity system.

Drought resilience

We're working with government, industry, the research sector and the community to lower the impacts of Australian droughts.

Ending plastic waste

Together with partners, our aim is an 80 per cent reduction in plastic waste entering the environment by 2030.

Future Protein Mission

Helping Australia capture high-growth global protein markets.

Hydrogen Industry Mission

The CSIRO Hydrogen Industry Mission was formally launched in May 2021 and focuses on leveraging CSIRO's hydrogen research capabilities in partnership with government, industry and the research community.

Towards net zero

The Towards Net Zero Mission will help Australian industry and communities prosper in a low emissions world through new economic, social and environmental value.

Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance

We will work to halt the rising death rate and economic burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Australia by 2030.

AquaWatch Australia

AquaWatch Australia aims to build a comprehensive national water quality monitoring and information system using space-based satellites and in-situ sensors throughout our inland rivers, waterways and coastal environments.

Developing Missions

Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience

We are working with collaborators from across industry, research and government to co-design this mission. This summary reflects the mission in development and will continue to evolve.

National Energy Analysis Centre

A collaborative research hub advancing data-driven insights for Australia’s energy transformation.

Mission enabling programs

AI technologies enabling Missions

We're applying the benefits of artificial intelligence to our Mission objectives to solve Australia's greatest challenges.

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