MESSAGE FROM THE D2D CRC CHAIRMAN, TIM SCULLY

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As we come to the end of our five year journey, I would like to reflect on all that the D2D CRC has achieved.

In 2014, we set out to respond to the national security community’s data analytics needs as well as to help build a sustainable data workforce for Australia. I am proud to say that we have done just that.

While there are many factors that have led to our success, it is in no small part due to the solid collaboration with our partners in government, academia and industry.

We served as the facilitator connecting key players in the national security community with our research and industry partners.

This ensured that these partners, who have developed and operationalised the CRC’s outputs, clearly understood the national security community’s needs. Similarly, our agency partners have been able to clearly articulate their big data challenges to those who can help solve them. This effort has paid off with purpose-built tools that address continuously evolving national security problems.

Our goal was to solve complex problems that the national security agencies faced and, through a collaborative effort, we have produced real capabilities that now help keep Australians safe, capabilities that are now commercialised by our two spinout companies, NQRY and Fivecast. I am pleased that our legacy will live on through these companies as they carry forward key elements of our technologies.

Both are exemplars of the collaboration and innovation that D2D CRC has demonstrated every step of the way. I encourage you to click through to their websites to find out more about the cuttingedge work they are doing in the national security and law enforcement space.

Our Law and Policy Program has also been exceptionally well regarded and has recommended solutions to address specific information-sharing complexities and improve data governance.

Our Education and Training Program will contribute significantly to our legacy as our PhD students enter the Australian data science workforce. Likewise, our legacy will be recognised through over 2,000 people who have completed D2D CRC training. And the unique Data Science Competency Framework, an Australia-first, will influence data scientists’ development for years to come.

Thank you to all our partner agencies for your support, commitment and contribution. You underpin every project, research stream, solution and every decision we have made along the way.

The tireless effort of our headquarters management team and support staff, our development operations people, our PhD students, our interns, academic partners and our Board of Directors must also be acknowledged for their part in our success.

Each of you have contributed to the enormous legacy that D2D CRC leaves in its wake. As I sign off, I encourage you to visit our legacy website at www.d2dcrc.com.au to read in more detail about our achievements and the highly skilled PhD students we have supported.

To say that I am proud of what the D2D CRC has achieved would be an understatement. Thank you for a terrific five years. It has been a privilege and a pleasure.

Tim Scully

D2D CRC Chairman

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