Researching innovative opportunities with Australia

In July 2019, DG RTD Director General Jean-Eric Paquet visited Australia. In this occasion he co-chaired the 15th EU-Australia Joint Committee meeting on Science and Technological Cooperation, and met with Karen Andrews (Australian Minister for Industry, Science and Technology), Simon Birmingham (Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment), and Dr Alan Finkel (Chief Scientist of Australia).

The Director General had exchanges with the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), with whom DG RTD had signed two Implementing Arrangements in order to provide more opportunities for Australian researchers to team up with European research teams.

The visit included a number of other meetings, such as the round-tables with senior academics and administrators at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), and a public event organized by EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory) at Monash University. It also offered the opportunity to visit several centres showing Australian excellence in R&I, such as the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, and the Microscopy Australia and the Quantum computing facilities in Sydney.