Australia's economic future depends on a strong STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce. Yet Australia faces a STEM skills shortage, declining student engagement in STEM subjects, and persistent participation gaps for women, Indigenous Australians, and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Grant funding supports STEM education programmes, research infrastructure, workforce pathways, and the innovation ecosystem that drives Australia's competitive advantage.
The STEM gap
Why STEM matters
The participation equity challenge
STEM participation gaps are deeply rooted:
- Gender stereotypes in primary school ("maths is for boys")
- Lack of role models for girls and Indigenous students
- School quality differences between advantaged and disadvantaged areas
- Rural access to quality STEM teaching
Australian Research Council (ARC)
Major government funder of STEM research:
- Discovery Projects (individual and team research)
- Linkage Projects (industry-research collaboration)
- Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRA)
- Industrial Transformation Research Programme
National Science and Technology Council
Policy coordination for Australia's STEM agenda.
Department of Education — STEM Education
CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)
State STEM funding
All states have STEM education strategies and funding programmes.
CSIRO (Education & Outreach)
CSIRO's education arm runs multiple STEM engagement programmes.
Google Australia
Digital skills and STEM education programmes.
Microsoft Australia
STEM and digital skills, particularly for underrepresented groups.
BHP Foundation
STEM education in mining communities and for Indigenous Australians.
Rio Tinto
STEM education for communities in mining regions.
Atlassian Foundation
STEM education and tech access.
Questacon
National science centre — STEM engagement programmes.
The Ian Potter Foundation
Education and research, including STEM.
School STEM education
Girls in STEM
Indigenous STEM
STEM for disadvantaged students
Maker spaces and innovation hubs
University access
Research infrastructure
STEM outreach
Vocational STEM
Digital literacy and coding
Despite decades of attention, women remain underrepresented in STEM:
- Engineering: 13% women
- IT: 29% women
- Physical sciences: 37% women
The most effective interventions target early (primary school) gender stereotypes, provide visible female role models, and create female-only spaces for STEM experience. Funding for girls' STEM programmes has strong evidence of impact.
Equity focus
STEM grants with the strongest rationale target participation gaps — girls, Indigenous students, students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Generic STEM enrichment for already-advantaged students has less compelling equity case.
Teacher development
Teachers are the multiplier — supporting one teacher reaches hundreds of students. Applications focused on teacher professional development have outsized impact.
Career pathway
The most effective STEM programmes connect school-based STEM to visible career pathways. Applications that include career awareness, role models, and employer connections are more comprehensive.
Rural access
Rural students face significant disadvantage in accessing quality STEM education. Applications extending reach to regional and remote schools address a specific gap.
Tahua's grants management platform supports STEM funders and education organisations — with programme participant tracking, learning outcome measurement, student pathway data, and the reporting tools that help STEM funders demonstrate their investment in building Australia's science and technology capability.