Help me keep the pressure on CSIRO — Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
Every dollar keeps me tracking their waste
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What I found on this entity
$1.2B science agency generating measurable economic returns. Patent targets exceeded. Direct commercialisation income $170M. WiFi royalties, polymer bank notes, extended wear contact lens — durable national IP.
Annual Budget
$1.2B
Prior year: $1.2B (+2%)
Headcount
5,600 staff
$214K per employee
Budget Trend
→ Budget Flat
Portfolio
Industry
Performance Targets vs Actuals
Target
150 active patent families in commercial use
Actual
162 active patent families in commercial use; $1.4B estimated economic impact (2023–24 Annual Report)
$890M in industry partnership funding — 67% never commercially deployed
ANAO audit found CSIRO administered $890 million in industry partnership funding where 67% of resulting IP had never been commercially deployed or licensed within 5 years of development. CSIRO — the national science agency — producing research that disappears into internal archives. Public money funding science. That the public never sees.
$220M in research infrastructure — underutilised below 40% capacity
ANAO found $220 million in major research infrastructure assets funded by the Commonwealth were operating below 40% utilisation capacity. No cross-portfolio coordination prevented duplicate purchases across research institutions. Your science dollar — buying equipment that mostly sits unused.