The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has entered a partnership with a number of leading academic organisations to explore the way the Australian community will respond to the changes and challenges presented by science and technology in the years ahead.
Director Responsible for Innovation Initiative Research at CSIRO, Justine Lacey said that as cutting-edge research worked to solve the greatest challenges facing Australia, the partnership would bring leading researchers and scientists from across the nation’s innovation system to a further understanding of the challenges for society.
“CSIRO’s Responsible Innovation Initiative is a five-year, $5.75 million investment aligned closely to CSIRO’s Future Science Platforms that has been created to drive innovation and the ability to reinvent and create new industries,” Dr Lacey said.
“We recognise that future science and technology provide significant opportunities to benefit our lives, but these are not without their own set of ethical, social and regulatory challenges.”
She said if these were left unresolved, they could hinder the progress and innovation required for science to deliver benefits to society and to future generations.
“Responsible innovation asks us about the kind of future we want to create and determines how we are going to achieve it, while ensuring we design and deliver socially-responsible science and technology for all Australians,” Dr Lacey said.
“Over the next five years, these collaborations will appoint five jointly-funded Postdoctoral Fellows to examine emerging science and applications associated with synthetic biology, precision health, hydrogen, artificial intelligence, Indigenous futures and other areas of innovation as they arise.”
