Science and Industry Endowment Fund

The Science and Industry Endowment Fund was founded by statute in 1926 at the same time as the predecessor organisation to CSIRO - the CSIR. It was seeded with an appropriation by Parliament of £100,000 from consolidated revenue. Until 2009 the SIEF investment priorities, as reflected in the Act, were to provide assistance to people engaged in scientific research and for the training of students in scientific research. Between 2009-2011 the SIEF was rejuvenated through gifts to the SIEF by CSIRO made possible from the proceeds of CSIRO's wireless local area network (WLAN) technology. The injection of these monies into the SIEF, together with 7 additional Gifts from CSIRO (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), made pursuant to a Deed of Gift (2009), provided the opportunity to extend the reach of the SIEF and diversify its support for a range of research activities which fall outside the mainstream and address present and future major challenges. Subsequent Gifts/Endowments have been made to SIEF from additional donors: NSW Government Deed of Endowment (2017)? Generation STEM Initiative; NICTA Ltd Deed of Gift (2018) - Future National ICT Industry Platform Program. These additional Gifts/Endowments provide for further extension of the types of activities funded under the SIEF Portfolio.