On 3 November 2026, the Chief Scientist spoke in Canberra at a Swiss embassy reception marking 65 years of Australia–Switzerland relations.
Sixty-five is sometimes associated with retirement.
But after 65 years of diplomatic relations, I think Australia and Switzerland are only getting started!
And in science, this anniversary gives us every reason to look ahead to what Australia and Switzerland can achieve together.
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Your Excellency, Professor Constable, and colleagues from Australia and Switzerland, I am delighted to join you to mark this important anniversary.
I also acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet.
And I pay my respects to their elders, past and present.
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Switzerland ranked first in this year’s Global Innovation Index run by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
And it’s held that number one spot for 16 consecutive years!
Indeed, the Swiss have given the world no shortage of ingenious inventions for some decades.
One of my favourites is the story of Swiss engineer George de Mestral who, on a walk in the countryside in the 1940s, spotted burrs that were stubbornly clinging to his clothes and his dog’s fur.
He looked more closely and eventually developed the invention we came to know as Velcro.
That invention was all about connection: bringing two different components together to create something remarkably strong.
International scientific collaboration works much the same way: bringing different people, ideas and capabilities together.
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When I consider the future of Australian and Swiss collaboration, I cannot help but reflect on our shared past.
Because, for me, it’s personal.
Antarctic research has been a defining element of my career – and it’s also a defining chapter in the story of Australia-Swiss collaboration.
In 1911, the Swiss researcher and mountaineer Xavier Mertz joined Douglas Mawson on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition.
The Swiss Government describes Mertz as the first Swiss polar explorer to set foot in Antarctica.
A talented mountaineer and ski champion, Mertz was an important addition to the expedition.
He represents the international character of ambitious science, and the value of sourcing capability – and specialist knowledge – wherever they can be found.
Sadly, however, Mertz died during the expedition. And today, the Mertz Glacier carries his name.
But perhaps the most useful modern tribute is not only remembrance but continued co-operation between our nations.
The Mertz Fellowship – also named in his honour – does precisely that.
It connects history with present-day science – and the next generation of researchers from our nations.
The Fellowship links Australian and Swiss polar and high-altitude researchers.
Importantly, it supports early-career researchers through exchanges and joint projects.
The Fellowship may be modest in scale, but its value is significant: creating relationships early in scientific careers.
Throughout my professional life, I’ve seen firsthand the value of early-career international mobility – and
the enduring collaboration it fosters.
The inaugural Mertz fellow was Amy Macfarlane, and her research took her from one end of the Earth to the other!
She brought her Arctic snow expertise to Antarctic sea-ice research.
In particular, she examined how snow-covered sea ice reflects solar energy – and how that process is represented in climate models.
Amy’s work is just one part of a much wider Australian–Swiss partnership in Antarctica.
Since 2020, our polar researchers have been working together under a 10-year commitment spanning climate science, sea-level change, and ice-core research.
And the scientific relationship extends far beyond Antarctica.
Australian and Swiss researchers produce around 3,000 joint publications a year – from medicine and physics to neuroscience and environmental science.
Our 2013 Memorandum of Understanding on science, research and innovation gives us an established channel for identifying where we can do more together. From emerging technologies and space – to Antarctic science and researcher mobility.
Health is another longstanding connection.
Around fifty years ago, Australia’s Peter Doherty and Swiss immunologist Rolf Zinkernagel made their Nobel Prize-winning discovery here in Canberra – revealing how the immune system recognises virus-infected cells.
And that connection continues today. Last year, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council – and the Swiss National Science Foundation – signed an agreement to support collaborative research.
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If I haven’t managed to impress you by now, let me introduce the S-K-A Observatory! The SKA-Low telescope in Western Australia is quite a sight: a vast landscape of antennas that look a little like metal Christmas trees spread across the red earth.
At its widest, I’m told the telescope will stretch some 74 kilometres – roughly the distance from Basel to Bern!
And Switzerland is part of the S-K-A Observatory project – contributing expertise in computing, data science and instrumentation.
It is exactly the kind of scientific infrastructure that reminds us why international collaboration matters.
A similar spirit of collaboration sits at the heart of the Horizon Europe initiative.
As you likely already know, Horizon Europe is the world’s largest pooled funding program for international research and innovation collaboration. One that connects researchers, industry, government and institutions – through funding, international networks and access to global research infrastructure. Switzerland returned to full association with Horizon Europe last year.
And Australia remains on track to associate for 2027.
This creates an exciting opportunity to work together through much larger international partnerships – tackling projects and challenges that no country can take on alone.
Australia will also bring considerable strengths – from expertise in critical minerals and quantum technologies … to health, climate science and distinctive research environments in our part of the world.
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I’ll start to conclude by returning to where I began: our compatibility.
Australia and Switzerland share an outward-looking approach to science, a respect for capability, and a belief in international partnerships.
From Mertz more than a century ago to the researchers and international partnerships of today, we’ve seen what becomes possible when people, expertise and capability connect across borders.
So, it is a great pleasure to join you to mark this 65-year milestone and to reflect on the opportunities arising from our strong and growing science relationship.
Thank you.