We’re passionate about building R&D infrastructure that’s fit for tackling our toughest socio-economic-planetary challenges.
Why Social R&D?
Many of Australia's systems for tackling tough social challenges in modern society seem locked in ongoing cycles of fail > review > reform > repeat. We spend billions of dollars on reforms with little real change.
Meanwhile, sophisticated approaches to research and development are driving ongoing innovation in science and most high performing industries. R&D got us to the moon and back, got vaccines in our arms in record time, and created year-on-year improvements in major Australian industries like agriculture.
Right now, in too many cases, innovation is happening despite the system conditions, rather than because of it.
Our impact
Over the last four years, TACSI has been working with a group of national profile organisations to reflect on the status of social problem solving in Australia and come up with viable alternatives.
Alongside some brilliant thinkers in Australia and abroad, we’ve written a white paper that explores what it would take to adopt the best of R&D systems from diverse industries and create a social R&D system – one that places people at the heart. We hope to evolve through conversation and experimentation.
Our social R&D white paper explores why we need an R&D system for social challenges
In 2021, we wrote a white paper that explores viable alternatives to cycles of fail > reform > repeat in social policy reform
Read it here
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Our commitment to First Nations First
A critical principle of the social R&D systems we want to create is that they further First Nations self-determination and First Nations knowledge systems, First Nations innovators and First Nations innovations; and that they bring the strength of Indigenous knowledge to tackle our toughest challenges.