Charles Darwin University - Charles Darwin University Submission to Australia’s Draft National Science and Research Priorities - September 2023 - Submission and Recommendations

Sep 15, 2026

Submission from Charles Darwin University outlines its input to Australia’s draft National Science and Research Priorities, aligning CDU expertise with the Northern Territory’s unique research environment. The document recommends stronger national security and sovereign capability links to science, authentic recognition of First Nations knowledge, and co-designed research that leaves communities better off. It also calls for clear articulation of humanities, arts and social sciences, secure future funding settings for differentiated place-based costs, and coherent roadmapping of reforms and implementation support.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Australia’s most connected university

Summary of submission and recommendations

Specific challenges facing the country

Focus on First Nations Knowledge

Critical research paths

Mechanisms to support implementation of Priorities

Science systems

Conclusion

Charles Darwin University Submission to Australia’s draft National Science and Research Priorities September 2023 Table of Contents Australia’s most connected university 3 Summary of submission and recommendations 3 1. Specific challenges facing the country 4 2. Focus on First Nations Knowledge 5 3. Critical research paths 6 4. Mechanisms to support implementation of Priorities 7 5. Science systems 8 Conclusion 8 Australia’s most connected university Charles Darwin University’s vision is to be Australia’s most connected university by being courageous and making a difference in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia and beyond. Charles Darwin University (CDU) is a dual sector university with around 7,500 higher education and 3,000 vocational full time equivalent students. Around seven per cent of higher education and twentyfive per cent of vocational education students are First Nations students. Being a dual sector university allows CDU to meet the needs of Territorians in campuses in Darwin, Alice Springs, Palmerston, and Katherine and in study centres in Nhulunbuy and Tennant Creek. CDU has a proud history of delivering in some of the NT’s most remote locations. At the heart of CDU’s vision is our commitment to engage First Nations students and support their attainment of vocational and higher education. The NT spans approximately one sixth of Australia’s landmass and yet is home to just one per cent of the population, of whom thirty per cent are First Nations peoples. CDU has established itself as an exciting and progressive research-intensive university with a regional focus that prioritises the complex issues facing northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Research Institutes at CDU, including the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, the Menzies School of Health Research, the Northern Institute, the Energy and Resources Institute, and their collaborative research networks, provide a strategic framework for research engagement. CDU consistently produces world-class research in areas of critical importance to northern Australia. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings list CDU within the top 400 universities internationally, with CDU ranked at 348 of 1,799 universities. The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which assess universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, saw CDU ranked within the top 200 participating universities in the world. The Shanghai Academic Rankings in 2023 saw CDU placed in the top 700 universities in the world – a leap from the top 900 in 2022. Summary of submission and recommendations In line with Australia’s Draft National Science and Research Priorities, this submission focuses on the key consultation questions to present CDU’s expertise within the unique research environment of the NT. | Recommendations | | --- | | CDU recommends that:
1. Research priorities underpin national security, including defence priorities as they become available, and are articulated directly in Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities or implementation documentation.
2. Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities clearly articulate the important role of the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences in scientific research.
3. First Nations knowledge be authentically recognised in Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities.
4. Research relating to First Nations people and communities is, as a fundamental principle, both co-designed and leaves communities better off.
5. Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities acknowledge the underpinning research systems in Australia and the necessity of secure funding settings into the future that properly address differentiated costs of place-based research.
6. The National Science Statement, along with the National Science and Research Priorities, be contextualised in a coherent roadmap of current reforms. | 1. Specific chal

FAQs

What is the focus of the submission by Charles Darwin University to the draft national priorities?

It focuses on key consultation questions and presents CDU expertise within the Northern Territory’s research environment, aligned to Australia’s Draft National Science and Research Priorities.

What recommendations does CDU make regarding First Nations knowledge and research?

CDU recommends that First Nations knowledge be authentically recognized, and that research relating to First Nations people and communities be co-designed as a fundamental principle so communities are better off.

How does the submission connect research priorities to national security and sovereign capability?

It argues that future research will underpin national security, including defence priorities, and recommends stronger emphasis on national security and sovereign capability within the national priorities, alongside workforce and funding considerations.

Sep 15, 2026

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