Australia races forwards with high precision positioning tech

Very Long Baseline Interferometry telescope at Yarragadee

AuScope’s investment in geodesy has enabled a step-change in Australia’s national positioning capability, forming the backbone of Geoscience Australia’s National Positioning Infrastructure (NPI) and supporting the rollout of Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) services. By delivering a continent-wide network of GNSS stations and data systems, AuScope has underpinned a transition from metre-level to centimetre-level positioning accuracy—transforming […]

Forecasting ocean currents reduce environmental impact and cost of global shipping

A large blue and white ship on the ocean.

Each day more than 50,000 cargo ships travel the world’s oceans, carrying about 90% of all goods traded worldwide. Global shipping is an enormous industry and responsible for 3% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If the shipping industry were a country, it would rank as the sixth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.CSIRO research vessel (RV) […]

Australia welcomes its first EMBL ARISE Fellow at Monash University

EMBL ARISE Fellow Dr Richard Jacoby at the lab at EMBL.

Australia’s capabilities in research infrastructure (RI) have received a major boost, with Monash University set to host EMBL Fellows as part of the Career Accelerator for Research Infrastructure Scientists (ARISE) – a flagship European initiative designed to train the next generation of RI leaders. ARISE Fellow Dr Richard Jacoby from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) will […]

AuScope

AuScope is Australia’s provider of research infrastructure to the Earth and Geospatial Science community. Our tools, data, services and analytics enable scientists to understand Earth’s evolution through time and explore how Earth resources may support growing human demands.

Australian Access Federation (AAF)

The Australian Access Federation (AAF) is Australia’s leading provider of identity and access management services to the education and research sector. We make it easy for people to securely access education and research services nationally and internationally, by providing single sign-on. It allows individuals from different organisations to collaborate and access online resources within a trusted environment.

Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ANSTO – Nuclear Science Facilities)

ANSTO’s Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering (ACNS) is one of two landmark research infrastructure facilities supported by NCRIS through the funded Nuclear Science Facilities (NSF) program. ACNS uses neutrons from Australia’s multi-purpose research reactor, OPAL, to solve complex research questions and industrial problems for Australian and International users. Neutron scattering techniques allow the structure and dynamics of materials to be determined, permitting scientists and industry to understand why materials have the properties they do, and helping tailor new materials, devices and systems.

Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF)

ANFF owns and provides access to micro and nanofabrication capabilities for Australia’s researchers and industry. We can assist in both the development of new products and improvements to current production methods. Each Node provides expertise in a specific area, including advanced materials, nanoelectronics & photonics and nano-bio applications. The ANFF commitment to providing a world-class, open-access user facility is underpinned by the sharing of best practice in service provision across the network.

Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)

The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) provides Australian researchers with competitive advantage through data. It accelerates research and innovation by driving excellence in the creation, analysis and retention of high-quality data assets. The ARDC is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). NCRIS is a national network of world-class research infrastructure projects that support high-quality research that will drive greater innovation in the Australian research sector and the economy more broadly.

Centre for Accelerator Science (ANSTO – Nuclear Science Facilities)

ANSTO’s Centre for Accelerator Science (CAS) is one of two landmark research infrastructure facilities supported by NCRIS through the funded Nuclear Science Facilities (NSF) program. CAS provides ultra-sensitive sample characterisation, dating, materials modification and irradiation to research and industry users from Australia and the world to solve complex questions and problems.

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS)

IMOS is a national collaborative research infrastructure, undertaking systematic, sustained and scientifically-robust observations of our vast and valuable marine estate. All IMOS observations are made discoverable and accessible via the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) platform, using FAIR data principles. Additional data is incorporated into the AODN from a wide range of partner organisations including research institutions, federal and state government departments, and private industry.

Clarity on climate change: NCI supports localised Australian climate simulations

The ACCESS-rAM3 regional model

Australia’s ability to understand and plan for climate risk depends on access to high-quality climate models, high-performance computing to run the models, and the effectiveness of the infrastructure that connects them. Dr Chermelle Engel at the ACCESS Community Workshop 2024. In a recent advancement, Australia’s climate simulator (ACCESS-NRI) released an adapted regional model, ACCESS-rAM3, to […]

National Sea Simulator (SeaSim)

Discover the future of marine experimental research at the National Sea Simulator, managed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). Our cutting-edge facility employs leading industrial process automation to conduct complex, extensive and long-term aquarium experiments, focusing on Australia’s tropical marine ecosystems. Join us in advancing research and conservation efforts for Australia’s diverse marine estate.

Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre (Pawsey)

Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre is home of Setonix, Australia’s fastest and most energy-efficient supercomputer, delivering the nation’s most advanced AI research infrastructure through massive GPU power.
Our integrated platform combines cutting-edge GPU acceleration with AI frameworks, real-time analytics, and advanced remote visualisation services and expertise. This gives researchers nationwide access to the scale, speed and expertise needed to accelerate discovery and innovation across every field, from climate modelling and drug discovery to quantum research and astronomy.

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN)

Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network is an NCRIS funded program. NCRIS is a national network of world-class research infrastructure projects that support high-quality research that will drive greater innovation in the Australian research sector and the economy more broadly.

AARNet

AARNet is Australia’s national research and education network, a not-for-profit organisation equally owned by 38 Australian universities and CSIRO. AARNet provides essential high-speed internet and advanced network services tailored to meet the specialised needs of researchers in Australia.

EMBL Australia PhD Course celebrates 10 years of training Australia’s future research leaders

Students enjoying a walk during the EMBL Australia PhD Course in Adelaide.

More than 60 PhD students from across the country came together in Adelaide for the 10th EMBL Australia PhD Course – a unique, two-week residential program designed to equip emerging researchers with the skills and confidence needed for modern scientific careers. Co-hosted with the South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI), this year’s course focused on future-ready […]

How our seabed mapping is boosting knowledge of Australia’s incredible marine estate

A large blue and white ship on the ocean.

A collaborative effort by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia is delivering high-resolution seabed data to illuminate our ocean estate and make incredible discoveries. Australia has the third largest ocean territory on the planet, measuring 13.8 million square kilometres, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. Australia’s diverse oceans, seas and waterways form an integral part of our lifestyle, […]

Australia’s climate future: new ACCESS model goes global

A visualisation of the Earth showing wind around Australia in green, blue colours created using ACCESS-ESM1.6 data.

Australia’s latest climate model, called ACCESS-ESM1.6, is ready to enter the global stage through the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP7), which will inform the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report. Climate change will shape everything about life in Australia – from the homes we live in and the food we grow to the […]

Listening to the ancient world beneath our feet to support critical mineral discovery

Curnamona Province

At the border of South Australia and New South Wales lies the Curnamona Province, a region that holds an untold story about Earth’s evolution over billions of years. By using NCRIS-enabled infrastructure, researchers are building a detailed 3D model of the Province, known as the ‘Curnamona Cube.’ The Cube reveals the hidden geological history of […]

Cutting-edge laser boosts thermochronology research at the University of Melbourne

Two researchers operate an ESL193 ImageGEO laser ablation system in a laboratory while monitoring mineral analysis data on computer screens.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne’s School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences are transforming the speed and scale of their thermochronology research, enabling more effective and precise analysis of geological samples. The faster research is thanks to a new, state-of-the-art ESL193nm ImageGEO laser system from Elemental Scientific. The laser will accelerate earth science research […]

Strengthening international research relations and showcasing Australian capability

Prof Jose Polo is shown the inner workings of a lab at EMBL Barcelona.

Driving global collaboration through the Prato 2025 Health Research Infrastructure Symposium The 2025 Australian & European Health Research Infrastructure Symposium, held from 16-18 September at the Monash University Prato Centre in Italy, united leaders from major Australian and European research infrastructures to strengthen international partnerships and tackle shared challenges in health and life sciences. The three-day […]

AuScope in Antarctica: unlocking climate-response secrets hidden beneath the ice

Professor Anya Reading stands beside a newly installed solar powered seismic monitoring station on rocky ground near the Lower Vanderford Glacier in Antarctica, with the ice covered glacier stretching across the background.

Antarctica holds clues about how our planet is responding to climate change, and what that means for our future. AuScope is helping Australian researchers uncover critical new knowledge, by building and deploying polar-rated instrument sets that can withstand Antarctic extremes, drilling deep beneath the ice to retrieve ancient sediments, and developing software for modelling how […]

Better connecting people who power Australia’s innovation

Yuveena Gopalan points to poster summarising the collaborative work between A R D C, R L A and the 3 universities.

A new national platform, ARDC Research Link Australia (RLA), is helping connect researchers, industry and government by making expertise and collaboration information easier to find and use. A recent pilot project with RLA shows how verified, accessible insights into Australian researchers’ capability can drive partnerships, innovation and productivity across the nation. Connecting People, Capability and […]

ACCESS-NRI joins the international Momentum partnership to advance climate and weather prediction

Image of a hurricane

Australia’s climate simulator, ACCESS-NRI is thrilled to announce its participation in the Momentum Partnership, joining an international collaboration that develops world-leading modelling frameworks for weather and climate science. The Momentum Partnership includes access to the UK Met Office’s Unified Model (UM Model), which is the atmosphere component of the ACCESS framework. ACCESS-NRI’s partner collaborators, CSIRO and the […]

A software time dial for the paleoclimate community

Watermarks in rocks of the Northern territory

The ACCESS-NRI team has added a “time dial” into the Earth System Model (EM1.5) that allows paleoclimate researchers to match the right value of Earth’s orbit around the Sun during different past climates. The ACCESS Earth System Model 1.5 (ACCESS-ESM1.5) is used by the paleoclimate community to understand the climate of the Earth from thousands […]

Enabling research and innovation to address climate change through trust and identity

Understanding the usage of Australia’s critical climate change modelling software through user reporting, will inform the future of this service. ACCESS-NRI, Australia’s Climate Simulator, is the national critical research infrastructure that provides software engineering support for Earth system and climate research. Standing for the Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator – ACCESS – is […]

Unlocking the power of Australia’s Tier 1 supercomputer

Through a national framework for trusted identity, accessing one of Australia’s Tier 1 supercomputers will become easier. The Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre (Pawsey) is one of two Tier-1 high-performance computing facilities in Australia. Its primary function is to accelerate scientific research for the benefit of the nation. Pawsey’s service and expertise in supercomputing, data, cloud […]

Strengthening our European connections to EMBL and beyond

On a recent visit to EMBL Heidelberg, Ian Smith, Chair of the EMBL Australia Council, spoke about the synergies between EMBL and EMBL Australia, opportunities for collaboration and ideas for exciting future programs. Ian Smith, Chair of the EMBL Australia Council, chatted to EMBL about the synergies between the organisations, opportunities for collaboration, and ideas […]

A true partnership to improve position, navigation and timing services in Australia

What do precision agriculture, weather predictions and synchronising financial transactions all have in common? They rely on geodesy, the science of measuring the Earth that enables all Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) applications that are used in everyday life. This exact science underpins the global geospatial economy, which has a value of at least US$1 […]

Scientists discover 36-million-year geological cycle that drives biodiversity

Tectonic changes alter sea levels that can create breeding grounds for life Movement in the Earth’s tectonic plates indirectly triggers bursts of biodiversity in 36-million-year cycles by forcing sea levels to rise and fall, new research has shown. Dinosaur Stampede exhibit at Dinosaur Canyon, located in Queensland’s Winton Formation which was formed during the Cretaceous […]

Uncovering history: confirming the resting place of MV Blythe Star 

Linking Australians to their heritage  CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, part of the Marine National Facility (MNF), offers a highly flexible platform that can accommodate multiple research projects on a single voyage. In providing this unique service, the MNF is helping to uncover our maritime heritage alongside other crucial research, such as mapping the seafloor […]

AuScope underpins Julimar polymetallic minerals discovery

In November 2021, Chalice Mining Limited released a maiden resource statement for the Julimar polymetallic mineral deposit on Wadjuk Country in Western Australia. This is an exciting milestone for Chalice on the path to delivering palladium, nickel, copper and platinum for clean energy technologies. Equally impressive is the decades-long backstory to the Julimar discovery, which […]

From rocks to Cochlear, swords and sunscreen

Our spectrometry wizards at Macquarie University’s MQ GeoAnalytical laboratory (MQGA) are at it again, innovatively applying their new age-dating technique to novel science challenges outside of the geology domain. From detecting trace elements in cochlear implants in Australia to tracing the provenance of Iron Age sword fragments from Dubai, this newly NCRIS enabled geo-analytical technique […]

AuScope earthquake hunters catch record-breaking quake

Hold onto your coffee cups and comfort the dog. This morning’s earthquake in southeastern Australia, which is perhaps the largest in the region in 200 years, thankfully has not yet caused any injuries. It has, however, provided AuScope geoscientists with the opportunity to put their earthquake hunter hats on and investigate this record-breaking moment. Here […]

From planets to pandemics: translating science in challenging times

After years of building NCRIS enabled software to address geodynamics problems, researcher and AuScoper from The University of Melbourne, Rohan Byrne, found an opportunity to turn his Everest code to help model COVID-19 mobility data during Melbourne’s 2020 and 2021 lockdown periods. Here, Rohan shares his story. JC — Rohan, please tell us what you […]

Global weather prediction: Australia’s contribution to the global Argo array

Positions of the floats that have delivered data within the last 30 days

Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) coordinates Australia’s contribution of approximately 10% of the global Argo array. Used internationally and by the Royal Australian Navy to predict ocean conditions, Argo data is critical to weather prediction globally. Argo data helps scientists understand large-scale ocean temperature and salinity structures, interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, and […]

Making mining models with magnetic minerals

Dr Kate Robertson in the field setting up equipment for magnetotelluric imaging.

Australian Geophysicists are mapping the possible location of economic mineral deposits in South Australia and relying on the NCI to produce advanced 3D models of the subsurface. The great challenge of this work is that over 80% of the surface of the state is covered by younger sediment, such as vast fields of sand dunes, […]