Engineers Australia has welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s final Strategic Examination of Research & Development (SERD) Report, pointing to the need for a coordinated workforce strategy as central to delivering its proposed reforms.
The report outlines a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening Australia’s research, development and innovation system, including investment incentives, closer collaboration between universities and industry, and a workforce plan developed with industry.
Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew said the organisation supports the report’s direction and would welcome the opportunity to work with government and industry on a national workforce plan.
“Almost half of the nation’s $24 billion in business R&D involves engineers, and they are also responsible for carrying out around 12 per cent of the $14 billion in university research,” Madew said.
She said a stronger engineering workforce would be essential to translating research into real-world outcomes.
“Engineers are the bridge between research and practical solutions. By strengthening our engineering pipeline, Australia can turn scientific discoveries into market-ready technologies that boost productivity and global competitiveness,” she said.
The SERD report highlights the importance of stronger collaboration across research, industry and government, warning that without action to build capability, Australia risks losing talent overseas and falling behind global competitors.
Madew said improving research commercialisation, as identified in the report, would depend heavily on the capability of the engineering workforce.
“Engineers Australia welcomes the report’s acknowledgement of key concerns raised by the engineering community, including the need for clearer national priorities, more streamlined tax incentives, and improved efficiency and accessibility of government funding programs for small businesses,” she said.
“To fully realise the panel’s recommendations, Australia must invest in the people who turn ideas into impact.”
Engineers Australia also noted ongoing workforce challenges, with around eight per cent of Australian university students graduating as engineers, compared with the OECD average of 13 per cent.
“Bolstering our engineering graduate numbers is crucial to strengthening the country’s engineering capability and skills pipeline. Industry, universities and government must mobilise to ensure Australia has the engineering capability needed to deliver the next generation of innovation,” Madew said.
