International Science Linkages Overview

The International Science Linkages (ISL) program aims to assist Australian researchers to increase their participation in international leading edge scientific research, to leverage access to international research funds, to raise the profile of Australian research, and to support the development of strategic alliances between Australian researchers and international researchers and industry. The ISL program will increase Australia's capacity to attract overseas research and development (R&D) investment, promote innovation, and increase the economic and social impact of Australian research.

The objectives of the ISL program are to:

• Increase the uptake of leading edge Science and Technology (S&T), through:
• promoting access to and participation by Australian researchers in strategically focussed, leading edge, international scientific research and technology; and
• increased strategic alliances between Australian and overseas researchers.
• Facilitate Australia's access to the global S&T system by supporting bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries.

The ISL comprises five components:

1. Competitive funding
   • Competitive Grants  provides support on a competitive basis for Australian researchers to participate in strategically focussed, leading edge, international scientific research and technology collaborations with specific countries and in a specific eligible field of research. Competitive Grants also provides support for staging major international scientific conferences in Australia in one of the eligible subject areas.
     
     
   • Australia-China Special Fund for Scientific and Technological Cooperation provides support, on a competitive basis, for joint collaborative scientific research projects between Australian and Chinese researchers. Research projects must be in one of the agreed bilateral priority area of research and must meet the objectives of the ISL program.
     
     
   • French Australian Science and Technology Program provides support, on a competitive basis, for joint collaborative scientific research projects between Australian and French researchers, including project specific follow-up meetings which draw on the complementary strengths of Australia and France.
   
   
2. Strategic Policy promotes effective research collaboration by providing a vehicle for the Australian Government to establish, reinforce and leverage strategic links and relationships with overseas counterparts. Strategic Policy enables the Australian Government to support international scientific cooperation in priority areas of science with key countries.
   
   
3. Australia-Europe Research Collaboration Fund provides a vehicle for the Australian Government to establish, reinforce and leverage strategic research links and relationships with the European Union, and with European countries as appropriate.
   
   
4. The ISL- Science Academies Program complements Competitive funding and Strategic Policy by providing targeted support for specific activities using the networks and expertise of the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering.



5. The ISL Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Academies Program supports international collaboration in the humanities and social sciences. This program is currently under development.