10 June 2026
The Australian Access Federation (AAF) welcomes the Australian Government’s commitment to national research infrastructure, with $18 million invested through the Department of Education’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) set to strengthen the delivery of a Sovereign National Trust and Identity Capability for Australia.
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.
Minister Hill says “Australia’s future depends on our ability to protect and harness our world-class research. Investing in secure, nationwide data access systems, ensures our researchers can collaborate with confidence while safeguarding Australia’s sovereign security.
“The scale and importance of Australia’s research data means it must be both secure and accessible. Providing a trusted national system to manage access, enables secure collaboration across the country and the globe – accelerating breakthroughs in areas like health and agriculture, while keeping the benefits of our research in Australian hands.”
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:
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Extend trusted access to all Australian researchers
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Provide higher levels of trusted access to sensitive data for researchers
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Empower national research infrastructure with cutting-edge technology to manage access to valuable research data
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Support access to sensitive data based on the principles of FAIR and CARE
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Provide trusted access in alignment with international standards
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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.
