September 17, 2026
Australia’s world-leading research partnerships with the United States are delivering breakthroughs in health, technology, defence, space and environmental sustainability, according to the Group of Eight’s flagship publication, Allies in Excellence, launched at the Australian Embassy in Washington.
Produced to coincide with the 2026 Go8 delegation to the United States, Allies in Excellence highlights the depth, scale and impact of collaboration between Australia’s leading research-intensive universities and their American counterparts. The publication showcases partnerships with universities, government agencies, research institutes and industry that are helping tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges while strengthening economic resilience, national capability and shared prosperity.
The case studies span fields critical to both nations’ futures, including medical research, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, defence, space, environmental restoration and workforce development. Together they demonstrate how long-standing research relationships are translating cutting-edge discovery into practical outcomes that improve lives and create opportunity.
Group of Eight Chief Executive Vicki Thomson said:
“When Australia and the United States combine their research strengths, extraordinary things happen.”
“The future will belong to countries that can turn knowledge into capability, and capability into prosperity. That is exactly what these partnerships are doing.”
“The Go8 sits at the heart of this effort, generating the discoveries, partnerships and talent that strengthen national capability, drive economic growth and deepen one of Australia’s most important international relationships.”
“From artificial hearts sustaining patients awaiting transplants and atomic clocks delivering ultra-precise timing for navigation, communications and defence, to growing plants in space, restoring kelp forests and developing technologies that protect lives during bushfires, Allies in Excellence showcases the extraordinary breadth and impact of Australia-United States research collaboration.”
“These partnerships are not just advancing science. They are strengthening economic resilience, enhancing national security and helping build the industries that will power future prosperity on both sides of the Pacific.”
Australian Ambassador to the United States, Greg Moriarty AO said:
“Together, Australia and the United States are turning shared strengths in research, innovation and technology into discoveries and capabilities that will shape our future. The case studies in this publication provide a powerful window into that collaboration in action.”
“As Australia and the United States look to the future, the work and the achievements highlighted in these pages give us confidence that our two countries are well placed to advance prosperity, security and opportunity together.”
The Go8 is proud to showcase these achievements – and the people behind them: researchers pursuing discovery, students building careers, entrepreneurs creating new opportunities, and communities benefiting from shared innovation.
Go8 Facts:
- The United States is the Go8’s largest single collaborative research partner country, with over 68,000 joint publications for the five years 2021-2025.
- The Go8 invests AUD$10 billion in research every year, including $3.3 billion in medical and health research.
- The Go8 invests almost AUD$190 million annually in defence related research – representing over 60 per cent of the entire university sector’s contribution to national security.
- The Go8 delivers 70 per cent of Australia’s university-based research and 20 per cent of all national research.
- Two-thirds of all basic research undertaken by Australian universities is conducted by the Go8, which invests AUD$3.2 billion in pure and strategic basic research.
- Every Go8 university is ranked in the world’s top 100 universities, with six in the top 40.
