Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence

The Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence was established jointly by the Australian National University (ANU) and Optus, in response to the 2019-20 Australian ‘Black Summer’ of bushfires. With increasing changes to climate, the conditions seen during the Black Summer are likely to recur, and possibly worsen, in Australia’s future, highlighting the need for a robust technological system for managing bushfires Australia-wide. This sovereign capability to manage catastrophic fire conditions in 21st Century Australia will require a paradigm shift. Combinations of new and existing technologies, often developed for different purposes, such as space, defence, communications, and earth observations, will be key in enabling new approaches and new capabilities. These technologies will need to be integrated into existing firefighting processes within established institutions, without disruption to existing capabilities, and with strong support from and integration with end-users. The Centre’s role is to provide thought leadership and develop, demonstrate and evaluate novel technological solutions for bushfire management in Australia, with the vision of a sovereign capability to rapidly and reliably detect and suppress fires. The Centre has a broad vision of research activities that will contribute to a paradigm change in how bushfires are managed in Australia. This vision is captured in six interrelated research programs: 1. Lightning forecasting and detection 2. Landscape flammability 3. Ignition detection 4. Data analytics and communications 5. Safe and rapid suppression 6. Legal and economic analysis