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.

Established in Adelaide in October 2007, The RiAus is a national, independent, not-for-profit incorporated association, which aims to increase public engagement with and promotion of science and scientific applications for the advancement of the sustainable economic, social and cultural wellbeing of the Australian community.

South Australia has played a critical role in the establishment of the RiAus. Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield, Director of the world-renowned Royal Institution of Great Britain (RiGB) proposed the establishment of the RiAus as its first international affiliate during her period as Adelaide Thinker in Residence (2004-2005). The London-based RiGB has been at the centre of scientific research, science education and the popularisation of science for more than 200 years. Among its past leaders are Michael Faraday, Humphry Davy, and South Australian father and son William and Lawrence Bragg (winners of the 1915 Nobel prize for physics).

The State Government of South Australia has contributed $12.7 million to the set-up of the RiAus, including 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. Santos 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 was established with the assistance of a $15-million grant from the Australian government.