The Phenomics Australia Strategic Retreat took place on August 28th and 29th, 2023, at the Lancemore Hotel in Werribee Park, Melbourne, marking a pivotal moment in our journey towards shaping National Research Infrastructure (NRI).
This two-day event brought together key stakeholders, experts, and leaders in the field to discuss opportunities, horizon scanning, and trends, with a particular focus on the 2021 NRI Roadmap and its recommendations.
Facilitated by Emeritus Professor Ian Smith, Day 1 allowed a range of inputs from external stakeholders on new perspectives and potential strategic alignments.
Key highlights from the day included:
Our Strategy: Prof Michael Dobbie presented the Phenomics Australia Strategic Plan and its alignment with the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap, emphasizing our commitment to building and delivering world-class infrastructure and expertise, collaborating for research excellence and advocating and partnering for impact.
Our Impact: Speakers shed light on how Phenomics Australia makes a difference through our capabilities and initiatives, with a particular focus on our expertise in precision medicine and beyond, and our highly skilled specialist technical team.
In-Depth Sessions: Participants explored key topics in detail, including Synthetic Biology, Research Translation, Laboratory Animal Supply, National Digital Research Infrastructure and Biological Collections, and the day concluded with insights from Phenomics Australia Node Directors, offering valuable perspectives on the organization’s services and goals.
Day 2 shifted the focus towards internal perspectives, capability planning, step-change opportunities, and investment prioritization.
We would like to thank all the attendees, including our esteemed external invitees, for making our retreat a truly enriching and collaborative experience:
- Emeritus Professor Ian Smith
- Ms Jessica Brosnan, A/g Director NRI Program Management, Department of Education
- Dr Merran Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Population Health Research Network (PHRN)
- Mr Andrew Gilbert, Chief Executive Officer, Bioplatforms Australia (BPA)
- Dr Stuart Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA)
- Prof Wojtek Goscinski, Chief Executive Officer, National Imaging Facility (NIF)
- Dr Adrian Burton, Deputy CEO, Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)
- Prof Jennifer Byrne, Director BioBanking, NSW Health Pathology
- Ms Laura Thomas- Strategic Manager, CSIRO Futures
- Ms Maarit Patrick, Chief Transformation Officer, Ozgene
- Ms Maya Koentgen, Operations Executive & Advisory Board Member, Ozgene
- Dr Noel Faux, Senior Research Data Specialist, Melbourne Data Analytics Platform (MDAP), University of Melbourne.
The event facilitated collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic thinking, setting the stage for future initiatives that will shape the landscape of our National Research Infrastructure.
Phenomics Australia looks forward to implementing the insights gained during this Strategic Retreat, driving innovation, and continuing to make a substantial impact on the research community.
