On 15 July 2026, Prof Tony Haymet delivered a speech at the Korea-Australia Future Forum in Seoul, Republic of Korea. 

As Australia’s Chief Scientist, and on behalf of the Australian Government, it is an honour to join you at this important event.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge: 

• Professor SONG Guido, President of the Korea Foundation
• His Excellency Mr Jeff Robinson, Australia's Ambassador to the Republic of Korea   
• Dr Scott Watkins, Chair of the Australia-Korea Foundation. 

More broadly, it’s a pleasure to be here with representatives from government, business, academia and research – from both Australia and Korea. 

That breadth of expertise is one of the strengths of this Korea–Australia Future Forum. And it reflects the broad, multi-faceted nature of our wider partnership.

Forums like KAFF bring together the people needed to turn ideas into partnerships – and partnerships into practical outcomes.

I would also like to thank our hosts for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to me and the Australian delegation on this trip.

Events like this remind us that partnerships do not happen by themselves. They are built over time through sustained engagement and strong personal connections.

My thanks to the Australia–Korea Foundation, and the Korea Foundation, for helping to make those connections possible. 

Your support – for dialogue, exchange and collaboration – enhances the relationships and trust that underpin deeper cooperation between our countries.

This year marks 65 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Korea, and five years since our relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Those milestones reflect how our relationship has evolved.

Today, it is shaped not only by trade and diplomacy. It is increasingly shaped by science, technology, innovation and the exchange of ideas. 

Those connections are particularly important between nations like ours that have complementary capabilities and a shared interest in future prosperity.

As technology becomes more central to economic resilience and prosperity, the case for deeper cooperation becomes stronger – because no country alone can realise the full potential of these technologies.

The opportunity for Australia and Korea is to work together to turn those complex technologies into real-world economic and societal benefits.

Having spoken briefly about why we cooperate, I now want to turn to the more pressing question: how we deepen that cooperation between our nations.

One way is through stronger research and innovation partnerships. Partnerships involving researchers, industry, government and universities – supported by access to world-class research infrastructure.

These partnerships connect research excellence with industrial capability. They help turn discovery into innovation, investment and practical outcomes.

Strong research is essential, but research alone is not enough. We also need pathways to commercialisation, investment and adoption. 

Australia and Korea bring complementary strengths in those areas, creating opportunities to turn ideas into real-world impact.

We can also work together more closely to build the frameworks that innovation depends on. That includes trusted standards, responsible approaches to technology, and the confidence needed for new technologies to be widely adopted. 

Indeed, building trust in new technologies may prove just as important as developing the technology itself. 

That is why technical expertise alone is not enough. 

We also need insights from the humanities and social sciences. 

Those insights help us understand ethics, human behaviour, social impacts and other factors that influence public confidence and people’s willingness to adopt new technology.

Strengthening supply chains is another important area for cooperation. 

Indeed, supply chain resilience is often more central to discussions than the technology it enables.

In fields such as critical minerals, batteries and advanced manufacturing – resilience increasingly depends on trusted partnerships and diversified supply chains.

And the benefits extend beyond our two countries.

By working together on critical technologies, standards and supply chains, Australia and Korea can contribute not only to our own prosperity, but to resilience and capability across the wider Indo-Pacific.

But ultimately, long-term success will depend on people.

And I will come back to that shortly.

Having reflected on how we can deepen cooperation, let me briefly turn to where I see the greatest opportunities.

If I had to choose just a few opportunities, they would be: cooperation on critical minerals supply chains; advanced manufacturing; and technologies like quantum and artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping how industries operate and grow. 

As Australia and Korea deepen cooperation in this area, we have an opportunity not only to build capability, but also to help shape the standards and frameworks that build trust and confidence in AI.

Critical minerals, batteries, and semiconductors tell a powerful story about the complementary nature of our partnership.

Australia provides many of the critical mineral inputs needed for future technologies. And at the same time, Korea is a world leader in turning those inputs into batteries, semiconductors, and other advanced technologies.

This collaboration is embodied in the Australia-Korea Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in critical minerals supply chains.

It supports collaboration between key agencies on the science and engineering that help us: discover, process, recycle and use critical minerals more effectively.

Together, we have an opportunity to build even more resilient and trusted supply chains involving those minerals and the products they enable.

Quantum technologies provide a good example of how our partnership can work in practice.

Australia and Korea already work together through research partnerships, scientific collaboration and skills exchange.

Those connections provide a strong foundation for future cooperation.

Of course, our critical technology opportunities do not stop there. Biotechnology, robotics and advanced manufacturing will also help shape the industries of the future and provide further opportunities for collaboration.

Whatever the field, technology partnerships ultimately succeed because of people.

The future will be shaped not only in laboratories and factories, but by researchers, students, entrepreneurs and investors working together across borders.

I’ve experienced that firsthand throughout my career. 

Early on, I had the opportunity to live and work abroad, collaborating with people from different countries and different disciplines.

That experience reinforced something I have believed ever since: when people move between countries, ideas move with them. Skills move with them. Relationships move with them.

That is why exchanges between researchers, students and institutions matter so much. They create connections that often endure long after individual projects have finished.

As we have seen in the Australia–Korea relationship, technology cooperation succeeds because relationships exist first.

Australia and Korea have a strong foundation to build on. And the people at this forum will play a key role in that.

Our task now is to turn that foundation into deeper cooperation, stronger capability, and lasting partnerships for the future.

Thank you.