ATSE’s policy priorities are not just about Australia’s challenges – they are the key issues to address globally. This was the take-home message for the ATSE delegation who participated in the CAETS2022 conference in September.
ATSE joined with 200 representatives from 24 of 31 member academies of the International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences (CAETS) for the 2022 annual conference held in Versailles, just outside Paris. Hosted by the National Academy of Technologie France, this was the first opportunity for member academies of this global network to meet in person since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coming together in person was invaluable for reconnecting and discussing the issues we’re all facing as organisations leading tech and engineering across the world,” ATSE CEO Kylie Walker said.
“It was clear from our discussions that our Fellowship’s policy priorities aren’t just issues we’re dealing with in Australia, they are global”
ATSE has three main strategic priorities, identified by the Fellowship, that drive the academy’s policy and programs, underpinned by best practice in diversity and inclusion.
ATSE’s policy priorities for technology and engineering
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Enhancing research collaboration, translation and commercialisation
- Exciting and educating young people in STEM
“It was no surprise that climate change is very front of mind for the international CAETS community, with a strong focus on sustainable development”, said Dr Carrie Hillyard AM FTSE.
“But there was an urgency in discussions about how best to support, retain and engage younger generations in STEM fields – particularly engineering – that I hadn’t expected.”
ATSE will be hosting the CAETS annual conference in Australia in 2025 with planning anticipated to begin in early 2023. CAETS will be held Croatia in 2023, Finland in 2024.
ATSE’s engagement in the CAETS2022 conference
ATSE was represented at CAETS2022 by a delegation of four:
- Professor Hugh Bradlow FTSE – ATSE President
- Dr Carrie Hillyard AM FTSE – Chair, ATSE International Strategy Group
- Kylie Walker – ATSE CEO
- Dr Cath Latham – ATSE Director, International Affairs
ATSE’s Fellows and Secretariat led discussions and presentations throughout the conference:
- Professor Hugh Bradlow FTSE presented the CAETS Communication Prize, as chair of the CAETS Communications Committee.
- Dr Carrie Hillyard AM FTSE presented at the CAETS public symposium on technology readiness in the Australian healthcare sector and how to assess tech readiness in other national settings. The symposium theme for 2022 was “Breakthrough technologies in Healthcare”.
- ATSE CEO Kylie Walker presented to the CAETS Board on effective communication and co-led the CAETS Diversity and Inclusion Committee meeting with colleagues from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
- John McGagh FTSE, chair of ATSE’s working group for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), presented (online) to the CAETS SDGs committee about how ATSE was approaching better engagement and communication around the SDGs in the academy’s policy and programs.
- ATSE’s delegation held bilateral meetings with delegations from the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), National Academy of Engineering Korea (Republic of Korea), Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering.
About CAETS and the annual conference
ATSE is a founding member of CAETS and one of the larger academies in the CAETS network.
The CAETS annual meeting is an opportunity to bring members together on key issues through Board, Council and Committee meetings, as well as share the latest developments in cutting edge topics through a public symposium.
Details of previous CAETS conferences can be found on the CAETS website.