Foundation Partners

The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) was established with the generous support of its Foundation Partners: The Government of South Australia, Santos and The Australian Government.

The State Government of South Australia has played a critical role in the establishment of the RiAus. Following the proposal by Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield, former director of the world-renowned Royal Institution of Great Britain (RiGB) and former Adelaide Thinker in Residence that RiAus be created as the first international affiliate of the RiGB, the South Australian government contributed $12.7 million to the project, This included the refurbishment of the former Adelaide Stock Exchange, enabling its transformation into the state-of-the-art Science Exchange.

Foundation Partner Santos is an Australian oil and gas exploration and production company with projects throughout Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. It embraces a citizenship role in the communities to which it belongs and seeks to make a difference through its contribution to these communities. The Santos Community Fund was established by the company as a focus for its community support programs. Through this fund, Santos supports the organisations and events that are valued by these communities and which share Santos' values, particularly in the areas of arts and culture, environment, education, youth, and indigenous and community wellbeing.

The Australian Government, through the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, aims to encourage the sustainable growth of Australian industries by developing a national innovation system that drives knowledge creation, cutting-edge science and research, international competitiveness and greater productivity. The Royal Institution of Australia received a $15-million grant from the Australian government to assist with its establishment.