Nationally distributed collections infrastructure to solve global research challenges

Friday 6 December, 10:00am – 3:00pm at the Queensland Museum

Delivery format: In Person

Event Description

Research collections’ fundamental role in supporting science, decision-making, and industry applications has received renewed interest, given technological advances that can rapidly generate new data and insights from physical specimens. The National Research Infrastructure (NRI) Roadmap calls for a step change around a national approach to collections and novel techniques in genomics, advanced imaging, and, increasingly AI/ML means that more information than ever can be derived from Australia’s collections. Further, the volume and breadth of collections are increasing, and small niche collections, for example, those in the higher education sector, may play an increasingly important scientific role. The importance of Indigenous data sovereignty and the opportunity to improve how a future state incorporates non-Western knowledge systems will also be fundamental.  The distributed nature of Australia’s biological collections demands new approaches to realising a vision around nationally distributed collections, including those in the biological, environmental, and human health domains.

Collections remain heterogeneous in their technical capabilities, access to skills and a trained workforce, and readiness to leverage technological advances to deliver better national and international outcomes. This event will explore the opportunities and pathways for establishing nationally distributed collections infrastructure in Australia, showcasing current opportunities and challenges, and, through facilitated panel discussions, explore the enablers to realise a future state. Discussions will be informed by international exemplars, such as the EU Distributed System of Scientific Collections Program, which recognises the fundamental role Australian collections play in a global system. 

With a range of experts from across the collections sector, we will explore the following five areas that are seen as critical for supporting the future state:

• Collection digitisation, storage and management
• Digital infrastructure, data access and integration
• Emerging transformational technology
• Skills and workforce development
• Sectoral leadership

Through facilitated panel discussions, it will also explore the enablers to realise a future state. Confirmed speakers include:

• Dr Nicole Gunter, Senior Scientist and Curator, Entomology, Queensland Museum.
• Professor Elanor Huntington, CSIRO
• Dr Terry Miller, Head of Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum
• Professor Sunil Lakhani, Executive Director Research, The University of Queensland
• Dr Georget Reaiche, President, Australasian Biospecimen Network Association and Senior Biobank Manager Adelaide Biobank
• Dr. Roland Roberts – U.S. National Science Foundation
• Anthony Whalen – Director, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO
• Dr. Andre Zerger, Director, Atlas of Living Australia

Join us for this fantastic event hosted by one of Queensland’s most important scientific institutions, the Queensland Museum. 

Hosting and Location

This event, hosted by the Queensland Museum (QM) and the Atlas of Living Australia, will explore the core elements and opportunities of establishing a distributed collections research infrastructure. The event will include a special back-of-house Queensland State Collection tour hosted by QM’s Biodiversity and Geosciences team. 

Agenda

	Item	Chair	Time
1	Welcome & Acknowledgement of Country	Terry Miller, Jim Thompson	10:00 – 10:15
2	Opening Remarks – Professor Elanor Huntington, Executive Director – Digital, National Facilities and Collections, – CSIRO Andre Zerger – Director, Atlas of Living Australia	Andre Zerger	10:15 – 10.45
3	The US experience in delivering nationally distributed digitized scientific collections – Roland Roberts – U.S. National Science Foundation	Terry Miller	10.45 – 11.15
4	Panel Session 01 – The role of physical collections in supporting future science – biobanking and natural history collections for human and environmental/biodiversity sciences – Dr Nicole Gunter, Senior Scientist and Curator, Entomology, Queensland Museum. – Dr Georget Reaiche, President, Australasian Biospecimen Network Association and Senior Biobank Manager Adelaide Biobank – Owen Forbes – AI/ML information retrieval – National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO – Dr Megan Penno, Chief Operating Officer, Environmental Determinants of Islet Immunity (ENDIA) Study   Panel Discussion – Q&A	Terry Miller, Head of Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum	11.15 – 12.15
5	Lunch		12.15 – 13.00
6	Panel Session 02 – Nationally distributed collections as research infrastructure – opportunities, needs and benefits from a national approach   – Dr. Cathy Byrne, Senior Curator of Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Chair – Council of Heads of Australian Faunal Collections – Associate Professor Hardip Patel, Bioinformatics Lead, National Centre for Indigenous Genomics – Dr Terry Miller, Head of Biodiversity and Geosciences, Queensland Museum – Anthony Whalen, Director, National Research Collections Australia, CSIRO	Ilona Stobutzki, Deputy Director, National Collections and Marine Infrastructure, CSIRO	13:00 – 13.45
7	Panel Session 03 – Designing a nationally distributed national collection   – Associate Professor Petr Holub, Chief IT Officer, BBMRI-ERIC – Dr Anusha Hettiaratchi, Manager, UNSW Biospecimen Services – Cassandra Griffin, Biobanking and Clinical Research Manager, University of Newcastle – Professor Sunil Lakhani, Executive Director Research, The University of Queensland   Panel Discussion – Q&A	Georget Reaiche, President, Australasian Biospecimen Network Association and Senior Biobank Manager Adelaide Biobank	13.45 – 14.30
8	Collections as RI – synergies, challenges and opportunities – Plenary Discussion	Professor Michael Dobbie, Chief Executive Officer, Phenomics Australia	14.30 – 15.00
9	QM Collections Back of House Tour	Terry Miller	15:00

For further information, please contact terrence.miller@qm.qld.gov.au or Andre.Zerger@csiro.au.

If you are already attending ICRI, the link below will show you how to register via our event portal