Federal Investment in Research Infrastructure: Generating $1.5 Billion Value Annually.

A report by Lateral Economics, commissioned by the National Earth and Environmental Science Facilities Forum (NEESF), estimates that Australia’s national Earth and environmental science research infrastructure generates more than $1.5 billion in benefits each year.

In other words, for every dollar invested across the participating facilities, the assessment estimates that $6.80 in benefits are generated.

The figure applies to the collective contribution of the national research infrastructure organisations and provides a useful way to understand the role AURIN plays within Australia’s broader research and innovation system.

AURIN digital research infrastructure delivers much more than research outputs. It gives researchers access to data, tools and expertise that would be difficult, expensive or inefficient for individual institutions to establish on their own. Our infrastructure also creates the conditions for governments, industry and communities to make better-informed decisions about the critical challenges facing Australia.

​“This assessment is valuable because it makes visible the benefits that are often distributed across many projects, organisations and users. National research infrastructure sits behind the scenes and gives researchers and decision-makers access to the evidence and capability they need to respond to complex challenges.”

– Prof Pascal Perez, Director, AURIN

The value of shared capability

National research infrastructure allows capabilities to be developed once and used many times.  It collates data from different organisations, making specialised information easier to discover, and it provides access to analytical tools and expertise, and supports collaboration across institutions and disciplines.

It can also reduce the need for individual researchers or organisations to negotiate access, build duplicate systems or spend valuable time preparing data before analysis can begin.

These benefits are not always visible in a single research output. They may appear as time saved by a researcher, a project that becomes possible because previously inaccessible data is available, or a government decision supported by a stronger evidence base.

The benefits can also build over time. Data that is prepared, documented and made available for one project can contribute to many others. As more datasets are connected and reused, their value extends beyond the purpose for which they were originally collected.

This is particularly important when addressing complex challenges. Questions about housing, climate resilience, health, transport, and energy transition rarely fit within a single dataset or discipline.

AURIN’s role in urban research infrastructure

AURIN is Australias national digital research infrastructure that connects urban researchers and decision-makers with data, expertise and partners for the benefit of Australia’s cities, regions and communities.

We provide access to hard-to-get, research-ready data, technology and collaborative expertise to help researchers and decision-makers develop evidence and practical solutions for major national challenges.

By enabling challenge‑driven research, tools, and data products, AURIN drives impact in urban policy, planning, and investment for major national issues, including climate change, energy transition and demographic change.

AURIN’s role is not to produce every research output itself. Our role is to provide the infrastructure, access and support that helps other people conduct high-quality research and apply it to practical challenges.

That includes supporting work on climate change, energy transition, housing affordability, demographic change, transport, health, infrastructure and the development of more productive and resilient communities.

Making difficult data easier to use

Some of the data needed to understand Australia’s cities is difficult to access.

It may be held by multiple custodians, subject to complex licensing conditions, technically challenging to work with or sensitive because it relates to people, places or organisations. Other datasets may be commercially valuable or costly to acquire, placing them beyond the reach of individual researchers or smaller organisations.

AURIN reduces these barriers by working with data custodians and partners to make important urban and regional data more discoverable, accessible and usable.

Through the AURIN Data Catalogue, users can search for datasets by topic, organisation or geographic area, review metadata and identify the information most relevant to their research.

The AURIN Data Provider also enables authenticated researchers to access AURIN data programmatically and connect it with commonly used GIS applications and programming languages. This supports analysis across areas including population health, transport, housing, economics, land use and demographics.

For example, understanding housing pressure may require data about population change, housing costs, transport access, employment, health and infrastructure. Examining climate risk may require information about hazards, buildings, land use, social vulnerability and essential services.

When these sources can be found, accessed and analysed together, researchers can ask more useful questions about how urban systems work and who is affected by change.