AAF welcomes a major funding boost for the Sovereign National Trust and Identity Capability

The Australian Access Federation (AAF) welcomes the Australian Government's commitment to strengthen the delivery of a Sovereign National Trust and Identity Capability for Australia, with $18 million invested through the Department of Education's National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

Assistant Minister for International Education, Julian Hill announced the funding outcomes on 29 May 2026, which will continue to support the Trust and Identity Capability needs identified in the 2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap and recognised in the 2023 NCRIS funding round.

AAF CEO Heath Marks welcomes the funding outcome, saying, "this funding continues to support the development of a nationwide system for ensuring trusted access to Australia's valuable research data. Strengthening protections against growing cybersecurity threats and enabling research collaboration for innovation."

The NCRIS funding for a Sovereign National Trust and Identity Capability will:

• Extend trusted access to all Australian researchers
• Provide higher levels of trusted access to sensitive data for researchers
• Empower national research infrastructure with cutting-edge technology to manage access to valuable research data
• Support access to sensitive data based on the principles of FAIR and CARE
• Provide trusted access in alignment with international standards
• Strengthen research impact tracking through unique and persistent identifiers

For the full NCRIS funding results in May 2026, please visit the Department of Education's website.