The Strategic Review

I was privileged to be the Executive Officer and Editor of the ``Strategic Review of Mathematical Sciences Research and Advanced Mathematical Services in Australia''[ 2]. The results of this review have been published as ``Mathematical Sciences, Adding to Australia''. In this paper I highlight the principal findings.

Before doing that it is worthwhile to touch on the processes involved in completing the review. The review was initiated by the Australian Research Council, and carried out by a Working Party appointed by the National Committee for Mathematics of the Australian Academy of Science. We were guided by an Advisory Council which had a broadly-based membership of practitioners and users of Mathematical Sciences research.

The review gathered information in several ways:

by distribution of over 600 questionnaires to...

Mathematical Sciences departments

research institutions

private companies

professional societies

by 20 hearings in eight separate cities;

by access to influential overseas reports;

by personal submissions.

Most of the information gathering was completed by March 1995.

The report was written by October. Four drafts were prepared, the first three of which were extensively critiqued. After endorsement by the National Committee for Mathematics and the Australian Research Council, the report was finally formatted into camera-ready form in December 1995.