ACDS Newsletter – September 2026 Posted in News, Research on October 2, 2026 by Sue White. Welcome – President’s message (Jacqui Ramagge) Dear Science Deans, Science PVCs, Science Heads, Science Associate Deans et al., Welcome to the third newsletter of the ACDS for 2026. We hope that your year is going well. AI is continuing to challenge and stimulate us and there are several articles in this newsletter that are of interest for our leadership of university science in our institutions. Please share this newsletter with your leadership teams, including your heads of schools or equivalent. Advances in AI continue to make themselves felt. In the short term there is much that needs to be done to assure learning, while acknowledging that in the medium to long term we are going to have to completely reimagine education, learning outcomes and assessment. In parallel, we are seeing an impact on research that is making us all reflect on what and how we contribute to global knowledge and understanding. Areas that involve physical interactions are less likely to be disrupted perhaps, but we’re seeing an immediate impact on theoretical work. For example, in a recent LinkedIn post I commented that the discussions around AI and mathematics lately have confirmed my belief that mathematics is deeply misunderstood as a discipline. Most people think mathematics is about the answers, when it’s really about the journey. It’s about asking the right questions and making connections that pave the way to the destination and indicate new directions. Maths is powerful because the solutions we find are so highly applicable, but it’s interesting because in walking those paths we gain a deeper understanding of many things. A beautiful example would be Galois Theory. The original question was the solubility of polynomials by radicals. Galois’ insight was to look at the symmetries of the solution set rather than individual solutions. To do this he formalized the notion of symmetry, introduced the concept of a group, then identified deep properties of that structure that linked to solubility of polynomials. In his quest to solve polynomials, he introduced a concept which would have deep and fundamental implications across: physics (Noether’s theorem), chemistry (fundamental modes of vibration for molecules), cybersecurity (public-key cryptography), mathematical modelling (Lie groups as symmetries of solutions of differential equations), and all disciplines that use linear algebra including engineering and data science (because every vector space is a group of vectors admitting a consistent scalar multiplication). JFK put it well in his moonshot speech. He said words to the effect that we do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard and in doing them we grow both as individuals and collectively. It’s the growth that is most important because it opens up the future. A single solution from which we learn nothing just closes a door. Important ACDS dates for 2026 Please mark the following dates in your calendar: October 6, Tuesday 12:30pm AEDT, ACDS Light Meeting #2 (zoom meeting) (register here) October 26-28, ACDS Annual Conference + satellite workshop & excursion, ANU, Canberra (register here) National scene Recent announcements from the ARC The ACDS Executive has considered the various announcements from the ARC that affect university science: the Final Report on the National Competitive Grants Program Policy Review, and the ARC Strategy 2026-2035, and the associated ARC Corporate Plan 2026-2027. It is good to see a focus on supporting high quality, fundamental, and breakthrough research across all fields, but there are some concerns about the loss of a Fellowship program for mid-career researchers. The differences between the NHMRC and the ARC grow increasingly stark. Government changes to university funding At its recent meeting, the ACDS Executive discussed the changes to university funding arising from managed growth and needs-based funding. On the one hand there is the impact of this on a small number of regional universities that service almost all of the regional and remote students in Australia whose funding will likely be reduced year-on-year to 2031, and then there are the institutions that will be impacted by the cap on international students. Several universities are in the middle of enterprise bargaining at a time of great uncertainty about their future finances. Policy and Advocacy The ACDS has continued an active policy and advocacy agenda on behalf of members. Earlier this year we contributed to major national consultations on the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, higher education standards, Job-ready Graduates and ATEC’s proposed more joined-up tertiary system. Since our last newsletter, we have made two further submissions: Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 — to the Senate inquiry, following consultation with members. ATEC research specialisation — drawing directly on our member roundtable and supporting institution-led specialisation while protecting university autonomy, the research–teaching nexus and nationally important scientific capability. Together, this work is helping ensure the needs and perspectives of university science are represented as major reforms to Australia’s tertiary education and research systems are developed and implemented. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. Your input is critical to our advocacy on behalf of university science. ACDS Annual Conference 2026 Planning is well advanced for our 2026 Annual Conference at ANU, Canberra, 26–28 October, with a strong program bringing together senior leaders from government, higher education, research and industry to discuss major issues facing university science. Registrations are now open — Please register via the link here. We strongly encourage Deans to attend and, where appropriate, to bring members of their leadership teams. The main conference runs Tuesday 27–Wednesday 28 October. Confirmed speakers include: Professor Barney Glover — Australian Tertiary Education Commission Professor Ute Roessner — Australian Research Council Jane O’Dwyer — Cooperative Research Australia Simon Collier — Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Dr Craig Ritchie — Ngarra Group Dr Janin Bredehoeft — Science in Australia Gender Equity Brett Hall — Australian Industry Group Before the main conference, members are also encouraged to join us on Monday 26 October for two satellite activities. Please register for these via the link above. ACDS Satellite Workshop (commencing at 11am, ANU): an interactive session, with input from Google, exploring how science faculties can use emerging digital tools and data-driven insights to strengthen research, teaching and workforce planning. This interactive workshop will showcase practical applications and strategic decision-making frameworks designed to help Deans in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. ACT Academy of Future Skills: a site visit to the ACT Education Directorate’s hands-on teaching centres to explore its system-wide approach to STEM teaching and learning, engage with teaching staff and experience its approaches firsthand. Transport will be arranged following the morning satellite workshop. We hope you can join us for the Monday activities as well as the main conference. We strongly encourage Deans and their leadership teams to attend these events. We look forward to welcoming you to Canberra! Update from the ACDS Executive Director (Tony Willis) It has been another busy quarter, spanning policy and advocacy, external engagement and implementation of our Strategic Plan. A few highlights since our last newsletter include: Advocacy and external engagement We have continued strengthening ACDS’s relationships across government, Parliament and the science, research, education and industry sectors. Recent meetings and engagement have included: ARC, Department of Education — research policy, funding and infrastructure; Cooperative Research Australia, Engineers Australia and Earth Observation Australia Australian Science Teachers Association and National Youth Science Forum Aaron Violi MP, Shadow Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation Parliamentary Friends of Science roundtable on geoscience and critical minerals — discussion focused on the importance of science, R&D and the STEM workforce to Australia’s sovereign capability and critical-minerals ambitions. NYSF Parliamentary Summit Further parliamentary engagement is scheduled with advisers to Senator Tim Ayres, Minister for Science, the Chief of Staff to Assistant Minister for Science Andrew Charlton, and Julian Leeser MP, Shadow Minister for Education. First Nations partnerships and engagement Our second Yarning Circle was held at the University of Sydney on 31 August, focusing on practical ways to strengthen First Nations participation and belonging in university science, address cultural load, build capability among non-Indigenous staff and leaders, and share approaches already working across universities. A final 2026 Yarning Circle is planned for Brisbane (date TBC). Executive Committee meeting summary At its most recent meeting, the Executive Committee discussed some of the major pressures facing university science, including financial sustainability (as mentioned above), workforce and workload pressures, international student settings, increasing regulatory burden, AI and assessment, and the longer-term resilience of science teaching and research. The Committee also considered how ACDS can sharpen its advocacy, with a focus on demonstrating university science’s contribution to discovery, innovation, national capability and Australia’s future workforce. The Committee also reviewed implementation of the 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, including progress on this year’s Priority Initiatives, and supported further development of the National Research Network towards a more active Research and Translation Centre/community of practice for Deans and research leaders. Member contact details Finally, thank you to the many Deans who have returned their updated ACDS contact details. This will help us communicate more effectively and strengthen our networks across member universities. If you have an outstanding request from us, we would greatly appreciate receiving your updates as soon as possible. News from the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre (Michelle Harvey) ACSME 2026 ACSME 2026 was held at the University of New South Wales from 30 August-2 September and was an amazing event, with plenty of networking, incredible speakers, and an exciting buzz for the future of T&L in science and mathematics. Huge thanks to the organising committee, and we are all looking forward to ACSME 2027 on the Gold Coast. ACDS grants Our T&L Grants are now open for application! Applications close on Sunday 11 October 2026, so it is time to get those ideas ready. Find the call out and related information here: https://www.acds.edu.au/acds-teaching-and-learning-grants-2026/. Sign up to our T&L newsletter If you would like to receive regular news from the ACDS Teaching and Learning Centre, please sign up to our T&L newsletter using the form at the bottom of this website: https://www.acds.edu.au/teaching-learning/. News from the ACDS National Research Network (John Bartlett) ACDS National Research Forum This week, the 2026 ACDS National Research Forum is being held at Curtin University on the Perth city campus on 30 September–1 October. Associate Deans (Research) from across the country will be meeting to discuss a variety of topics including research impact, sustaining research and research infrastructure, and foreign interference compliance. There will be guest speakers from the ARC, NHMRC and the Australian Synchrotron. A special feature will be the pre-forum workshop on Tuesday 29 September at which Professor James Arvanitakis from the Forrest Research Foundation will talk about ‘Engaging with philanthropy: what can go right and what can go wrong’. If you happen to be in the west, it is not too late to register via this link. We look forward to seeing you there. Strategic communications and engagement (Brian Yates) The ACDS magazine Australian University Science As mentioned in the previous newsletter, Issue 16 of the online magazine is focused on university science in the age of artificial intelligence, and will try to capture the positives and negatives of the current situation. The latest edition is now live. Read the latest edition. Topics of current interest I hope that you are finding these short briefing papers useful. I have produced four of them so far in 2026 and plan for two more before the end of the year. Past issues of these ‘Topics of Current Interest’ are available on the ACDS Engagement website at https://www.acds.edu.au/engagement/. LinkedIn posts Sue White has recently completed a project trial for the ACDS in which she organised to have a schedule of regular LinkedIn posts from the ACDS account on a variety of topics. Over a three-month period this led to a doubling of the number of impressions (the total number of times our content appeared on users’ screens). These results show that the ACDS can attract attention across a mix of sector, policy, event and thought-leadership content, providing a useful base for future LinkedIn activity. The project also demonstrated that a more active and deliberate LinkedIn approach can materially improve ACDS’s visibility and engagement. ACDS Light Meeting #2 One of the ACDS initiatives this year is to hold some informal meetings for science leaders from ACDS member universities which we have termed ‘Light Meetings’. The idea is to allow a less formal discussion of a single issue for an hour over lunchtime, without formal minutes or motions. We have made these open to any Dean and their leadership team (Associate Deans, Deputy Deans, Heads of School or equivalent) to foster further communication within the broader university science leadership community. The second ACDS Light Meeting will focus on the use of AI in our science leadership roles and will be facilitated by Professor Simon Ellingsen, a member of the ACDS Executive. The meeting will be held on Tuesday 6 October 2026, from 12:30pm to 1:30pm AEDT. Please save the date and register via the link here to attend and receive the Zoom login details. To get a sense of the AI issues which are of most interest to our members, please complete the pre-meeting poll which can be found here. We look forward to welcoming you to this zoom meeting. AI and R&D grant applications AI is changing how R&D grant applications are developed, assessed and refined. In this article, gemaker explores how universities and industry can use AI to strengthen submissions while retaining the human expertise and judgement that successful proposals still depend on. https://gemaker.com.au/insights/how-ai-is-reshaping-rd-grant-submissions STA Science Meets the Economy As many of you know, Science & Technology Australia’s new residential program Science Meets the Economy is open for registrations. The program is designed to help STEM leaders strengthen their business understanding and strategic leadership. It is intended to help people learn to translate scientific expertise into business value, engage with decision-makers, and understand the economic forces shaping organisations. The program may be of interest to Deans, Heads of School, Heads of Department, research centre leaders, and Associate Deans preparing for greater leadership responsibility. Finally, thank you for all your contributions to university science in Australia and your support of the ACDS. If you have any feedback about the ACDS, our activities or this newsletter, please send it to me. We wish you well for the final quarter of this year. Best wishes, Professor Brian Yates ACDS Director, Strategic Communications and Engagement
