AURIN will play a key role in two major new national research infrastructure projects following Australian Government investment in the Australian Urban Climate Research Initiative (AUCRI) and the Australian Coastal Research Infrastructure initiative (CoastRI), expanding national capacity for climate risk analysis and evidence-based decision-making.
AURIN will lead the $11 million AUCRI project, which will strengthen Australia’s ability to understand, model and respond to urban climate risk, including both physical impacts from extreme weather events and longer-term shifts in climate patterns. AURIN will also receive an additional $3 million for contributing to a nationally coordinated coastal monitoring capability that will improve Australia’s ability to understand and respond to coastal change, including changes affecting water, ecosystems, and the built environment.
Why these investments matter
Australian cities are where most of Australia’s people, economy, and emissions are concentrated. Cities host around 90% of the population, generate 80% of GDP, and contribute to nearly 60% of annual carbon emissions (greenhouse gas emissions). In practical terms, that means the sustainability and resilience of our cities are central to Australia’s ability to respond to climate change, the energy transition, and demographic transformation, and to manage climate-related financial risks, including transition risks arising from policy, market expectations, technology change, and regulation as Australia moves toward a lower-carbon economy and low-emission energy sources.
Together, these projects will deliver critical research infrastructure to support better decisions about climate adaptation, urban resilience, coastal change, infrastructure planning, emissions reduction, community wellbeing and long-term environmental management; at the right pace for fast-changing conditions. They will also help identify climate-related opportunities such as cost savings, new markets, and investment pathways in renewable energy and offshore renewable energy.
“I can’t see anything more important than ensuring the sustainability and resilience of our cities in the face of climate change, energy transitions, and demographic transformation.”
Prof. Pascal Perez, AURIN Director
AUCRI (Australian Urban Climate Research Initiative)
AUCRI is a national collaborative project involving five National Research Infrastructure facilities and major scientific, industry and government partners. It will be delivered across four work packages over two years, focusing on urban climate data (including physical risk data), urban climate models, consequence modelling and risk assessments, and evidence-based knowledge transfer for decision-making at city, national, and global scales.
AUCRI will bring together urban and climate modelling to assess both the impact of climate change on Australian cities and the effects of cities on regional climate. The project will integrate representations of urban environments with Australia’s national climate projection tools, including the Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS), to support high-resolution, city-scale climate prediction and consequence modelling—supporting household level insights where possible while strengthening institutional capability for government and industry users.
What AURIN will deliver as the lead organisation
As the lead organisation, AURIN will deliver key components of AUCRI, including:
- Urban climate model integration
- Urban analytics as a service
- Digital urban climate twins
- Consequence modelling of the impact of urban climate on built forms and infrastructure (including risks such as frequent heatwaves and other extreme weather events)
In addition, AUCRI will support a forward-looking institution approach to evidence, helping partners incorporate climate considerations into strategic plans, enterprise risk management framework processes, and climate valuation. This will improve understanding of potential financial impact, such as reduced revenue, rising costs, or asset disruption (two categories of risk often discussed: physical and transition). It can also inform emerging climate-related financial disclosures and related task force-style governance discussions within organisations.
“These investments recognise the importance of national digital research infrastructure in helping researchers, governments, industry and communities make better decisions based on trusted data, advanced analytics and collaborative capability.”
Prof. Pascal Perez, Director, AURIN
Australian Coastal Research Infrastructure initiative (CoastRI)
CoastRI will strengthen Australia’s coastal monitoring capability through a nationwide network of sensors and drones, producing data tailored to Australia’s unique coastal environments and critical for long-term planning. Learn more about the initiative at CoastRI.
As a CoastRI partner, AURIN will contribute data, digital infrastructure, and analytical capabilities (including information technology and analytics) to help researchers and decision-makers work with complex coastal datasets alongside broader urban, regional, environmental, and socio-economic information.
CoastRI will be delivered through a consortium of 13 NCRIS partners, bringing together national expertise in environmental monitoring, data infrastructure, analytics, and research capability. The initiative will support better long-term planning by helping communities, industries, and governments understand how Australia’s coastlines are changing and how those changes may affect homes, businesses, infrastructure, shipping routes, agriculture, fisheries, offshore renewable energy and the natural environment, including coastal hazards and compounding risks (for example, storm surge, erosion, and in some regions, bushfire risk).
Alignment with national priorities
The initiative aligns with several Australian Government priorities, including the National Urban Policy, the Net Zero Plan and the National Adaptation Plan. It also addresses National Science and Research Priorities relating to the transition to net zero, healthy and thriving communities, and resilient built environments. It will complement relevant national and international publications and help ensure research outputs can be translated into real-world decision-making and, where appropriate, reporting needs that intersect with regulation.
AURIN welcomes these investments and the opportunity to help deliver nationally coordinated research infrastructure for Australia’s urban, regional and coastal future. We thank the Department of Education and NCRIS for their support, as well as the AURIN Board, Scientific Advisory Committee, Industry Advisory Committee, and our Node Network for their trust, guidance, and support. We look forward to working alongside our AUCRI and CoastRI partners to deliver these important national capabilities, leveraging a global platform approach to collaboration and, where appropriate, data sharing.
For more about AURIN’s work and updates, see AURIN news and AURIN projects.
Read our media release here