This Action Plan supports strategic action areas outlined in Western Australia’s 10-Year Science and Technology Plan, to address challenges faced by the State, create jobs and boost the economy.
The WA Government’s focus is directed across 6 strategic action areas, see below, with specific actions planned.
1. Talent, skills and workforce
Show moreThe Western Australian Government will support world-class science and technology education, training and career pathways.
Specific actions include:
- Implement the State STEM Skills Strategy Mission update 2024-2029.
- Expand the Premier’s Science Fellowship Program to attract key talent to Western Australia in priority areas.
- Champion science and technology in the State, including by establishing the Western Australian Science and Technology Ambassadors Program.
- Support researchers, scientists and technologists to attend national and international scientific events.
- Invest in teacher capability, confidence and resources to deliver high quality STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.
- Co-design new pathways for Aboriginal peoples to participate in science and technology.
- Focus on STEM in the Career Taster Program.
- Establish a Clean Energy Training and Research Institute.
- Establish a Clean Energy National Skills Centre of Excellence in Western Australia.
2: Funding and investment
Show moreThe Western Australian Government will enable increased investment in research and development to become a leading destination for science and technology.
Specific actions include:
- Identify and enable new international funding and investment partnerships.
- Deliver Near-miss Programs for researchers who narrowly miss out on competitive Commonwealth grant programs.
- Create a consistent assessment framework to support funding decisions for new research institutes, national Centres of Excellence or expansions to existing institutes.
- Enable opportunities to support the indirect costs of conducting research for new and existing funding programs.
- Encourage business investment in research and development, including through exploring opportunities to leverage the Australian Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive and Future Made in Australia.
- Deliver science and technology Challenge Programs.
- Identify options for long-term funding for research in Western Australia, including opportunities for co-investment with industry and philanthropy.
- Deliver a GreenTech Hub through a $40 million partnership with the Gorgon Joint Venture operated by Chevron Australia.
- Invest $15 million into an Agriculture Climate Resilience Fund.
- Promote and leverage the Future Health and Research Innovation Fund.
3: Physical and digital infrastructure
Show moreThe Western Australian Government is committed to building a network of accessible and multipurpose physical and digital infrastructure to underpin research, science and technology activities.
Specific actions include:
- Leverage funding from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy through co-investment in opportunities aligned with Western Australia’s priority areas.
- Inform the Australian Government’s policy environment associated with the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy through identification and communication of local priorities.
- Identify current gaps in common-use infrastructure, including for prototyping and piloting, and improve collaboration, facilities and equipment.
- Establish a statewide directory of science and technology infrastructure and equipment.
- Investigate optimising funding and support for statewide research infrastructure through the establishment of a State Research Infrastructure and Equipment Co-Investment Fund.
- Conduct a feasibility study into the establishment of a statewide Biobank for the storage of non-human, biological samples for use in research.
- Review Western Australia’s current data storage and processing capabilities for research and development.
- Support a data linkage forum to foster strong collaboration with the research sector.
- Invest in and support the PeopleWA data linkage platform.
4: Leadership and collaboration
Show moreThe Western Australian Government will support collaboration and knowledge sharing across government, academia, industry and the community.
Specific actions include:
- Investigate a Western Australian Centres of Excellence program in line with the State’s research priorities.
- Establish a Science and Technology Council to provide leadership and advice to the government.
- Establish the Western Australian Research Network to bring together research leaders from government agencies, universities, research institutes and industry.
- Identify new institutional arrangements that support partnership between industry, start ups, government and academia to address Western Australia’s research and capability priorities.
- Deliver a statewide Science and Technology Communications Plan that incorporates a Western Australian science brand and promotes science and technology across community and industry.
- Work with Aboriginal peoples to support Aboriginal knowledge systems and partnerships.
- Investigate mechanisms to increase public participation and inclusion in research, prioritising ways to elevate citizen science opportunities.
- Contribute to the success of AUKUS through effective collaborations between industry, academia and government with the aim of providing a highly skilled workforce and an innovative flow of technology.
- Establish a Climate Adaptation Research Hub that identifies priority research needs.
- Enhance climate adaptation research on Western Australia’s biodiversity.
- Develop a water research program to address key climate change challenges.
5: Translation, commercialisation and procurement
Show moreThe Western Australian Government will continue to advance research translation, support technology transfer and maximise opportunities for commercialisation.
Specific actions include:
- Facilitate commercialisation of research and development in Western Australia.
- Explore opportunities to incentivise and support piloting of research and new technology, including regulatory sandboxing.
- Optimise government procurement processes and policies to facilitate a stronger focus on supporting local businesses and facilitate engagement with Aboriginal businesses.
- Consider mechanisms to support small and medium enterprises to design science and technology solutions to challenges posed by the Western Australian Government.
- Implement the Public Sector Intellectual Property Policy to guide Western Australian Government agencies in the development, management and use of Intellectual Property.
- Support Intellectual Property management across universities, research institutions and industry.
- Deliver the Western Australian Industry Participation Strategy (WAIPS) to support local business and promote innovation.
- Support local innovation hubs and investigate opportunities for new hubs that support Western Australia’s science and technology priorities.
- Advance accelerator and incubator programs to support commercialisation.
6: Policy, regulation and governance
Show moreThe Western Australian Government will ensure effective and risk-based policy and regulatory environments to support science and technology innovations.
Specific actions include:
- Develop biodiscovery legislation to promote examination of Western Australia’s flora, fauna and microbes for compounds with medicinal or commercial properties, consistent with the principles of the Nagoya Protocol.
- Investigate ways to improve the retention of technical and research staff within the public sector, including progressions mechanisms to support technical staff advance their careers outside of management roles.
- Collaborate with the Australian Government to explore opportunities to align scientific, technical and product standards with trusted overseas standards, lowering export barriers and supporting local industries to sell to global markets.
- Enhance Western Australia’s cyber security capability.
- Develop regional climate change projections at higher spatial resolution.
- Develop privacy and responsible information sharing legislation.
