Luke Sheehy, CEO, Universities Australia

Australians rightly take pride in ingenuity, fairness and a quiet determination to solve problems that matter. Yet too often we overlook one of the nation’s greatest assets in delivering those outcomes: our universities. 

This year’s Shaping Australia Awards finalists offer a powerful reminder of just how deeply universities contribute to our national prosperity, resilience and social fabric. They showcase the researchers, teachers and teams whose work is improving lives, strengthening communities and extending Australia’s influence well beyond our shores. 

These awards celebrate excellence, but they also tell a larger story – one about what is at stake if we fail to properly support the institutions that make this work possible. 

Across the country, university researchers are tackling challenges that go to the heart of Australia’s future. From breakthroughs in early cancer detection to innovative approaches to sustainability and waste reduction, the Problem Solver Award finalists demonstrate how university research translates directly into healthier lives, cleaner industries and stronger economic outcomes. This is not abstract or theoretical work. It is research delivering real returns for Australians. 

This kind of research is central to the federal government’s priorities – lifting productivity, strengthening sovereign capability and positioning Australia to compete in a world defined by rapid technological change. Whether it is medical research that reduces pressure on the health system, clean energy innovation that supports the net-zero transition or advanced manufacturing breakthroughs that create new industries, universities are delivering the knowledge base that national policy relies upon. 

Equally vital are the Future Builder Award finalists, whose teaching innovations are equipping students with the skills, adaptability and ethical grounding needed in an era of rapid change. These educators are reshaping curricula, forging stronger links with industry and community and ensuring graduates are job-ready and future-focused. In doing so, they are strengthening Australia’s workforce at a time when productivity growth and skills shortages are front-of-mind for governments and employers alike. 

Then there are the Community Champion Award finalists, whose work reminds us that universities are not isolated institutions, but active partners in civic life. From improving access to essential services to supporting vulnerable Australians, these initiatives demonstrate the social dividend that flows when universities are empowered to engage deeply with their communities. 

And yet, despite these contributions, universities are too often discussed narrowly – as line items in budgets or as cost centres rather than national investments. The reality is that universities educate more than a million Australians each year, drive a substantial share of our research and development and underpin industries that sustain jobs and growth across the economy. 

The Shaping Australia Awards exist in part because this work is not always seen or celebrated. But recognition alone is not enough. 

If Australia wants universities to continue delivering breakthroughs, educating skilled graduates and strengthening communities, they must be supported by stable, forward-looking policy and adequate funding. 

Excellence cannot be sustained on goodwill alone. Research pipelines, world-class teaching and community engagement all require long-term investment and policy settings that encourage ambition rather than constrain it. 

Investment in universities is not a cost to be managed down, but a lever to be pulled for national benefit. Stronger funding translates into more skilled graduates, deeper research capability and faster innovation –  outcomes that flow directly into economic growth, improved public services and higher living standards. 

At a time of intense global competition for talent, ideas and innovation, underinvesting in universities is a strategic risk. Nations that back their universities reap dividends in productivity, national capability and global standing. Those that do not fall behind. The Australian Universities Accord carried this very warning. 

The finalists in this year’s Shaping Australia Awards represent the very best of our university system. They are proof of what Australian universities can achieve when talent, purpose and opportunity align. But they also underscore a simple truth: continued success depends on continued support. 

Australia’s universities stand ready to help tackle the big challenges facing the nation – from economic transformation and technological change to social cohesion and sustainability. With the right policy settings and funding frameworks, they will continue to shape a stronger, fairer and more prosperous Australia. That’s something worth our recognition and our investment.