In March, a major independent report commissioned by the federal government declared Australia’s research and innovation system was “broken”. The report, titled Ambitious Australia, recommended how to fix it.

The 2026 federal budget gives us the first concrete signal of how the federal government intends to act on the report’s recommendations.

This signal is a quiet one, despite there being some welcome commitments. It is not quite the kind of renewal many in the research sector might have hoped for after years of reviews, uncertainty and declining confidence in national research settings.

Let’s dig into the details.

Looks good at first glance

At first glance, some headline numbers in the budget look constructive.

For example, the government says it will “[strengthen] our science capabilities and institutions” via new investments. There is $387 million over four years for the CSIRO. There is also $273 million for the National Measurement Institute, $21.7 million for the Australian Space Agency, and $24.3 million over two years for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The government has also committed to establishing a National Resilience and Science Council. This was one of the main recommendations of the Ambitious Australia report. The council will provide coordinated advice on research, development and innovation investment. It will also help set priorities for $15 billion worth of funding in........

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