The Royal Institution of Australia

What The Royal Institution of Australia does

RiAus is an Australian non-profit charity headquartered at The Science Exchange, 55 Exchange Place, Adelaide, that operates as a national science communication organization. It was conceptualized in 2004-2005 during Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield's tenure as Thinker in Residence for the South Australian Government, opened on 8 October 2009 by HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and is the only sister organization outside the UK of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. Its mission is to connect the community with science and science with the community, which it executes through a portfolio of media properties and programs: the riaus.org.au website, the australiascience.tv video platform, Cosmos Magazine (a quarterly publication taken into custodianship in July 2018), the SCINEMA International Science Film Festival, Australia's Science Channel, and the Bragg Fellowship program that honors distinguished Australian scientists.

The organization's core technology is a set of digital multimedia platforms for science content distribution, including websites, video hosting infrastructure with university and publisher subdomains, podcast/shortcast distribution via LiSTNR, and broadcast-grade content delivered through a partnership with ABC (iView, ABC Science, ABC Education). Content is published under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND license. RiAus operates with an 11-50 person team and reports reaching over 1 million people monthly through public events, education programs, and publications, with the SCINEMA festival alone delivering 300+ free community screenings and 32,000 audience members during National Science Week.

RiAus is funded via a hybrid non-profit model combining charitable donations from the general public, recurring membership fees (corporate and individual), and government grants from the Government of South Australia and the Commonwealth Government, with Santos as a foundation partner. The 2022 South Australian Government operational grant and a June 2024 announcement regarding new arrangements for Cosmos Magazine and RiAus Education indicate ongoing reliance on public-sector support and a recent restructuring of two principal revenue activities. The Council is chaired by Peter Yates AM and comprises senior figures from Australian industry, finance, and science policy, including former Santos CEO David Knox and former British Airways CEO Sir Rod Eddington. The organization is registered as a Deductible Gift Recipient (ABN 98638459658).

Name

The Royal Institution of Australia

Legal name

The Royal Institution of Australia Inc

Website

https://riaus.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a non-profit charity that connects the Australian public with science through digital content, publications, public events, and the Cosmos Magazine, SCINEMA film festival, and Bragg Fellowship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Communication Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Science & Technology Museums (THAJADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Science communication
• Public science engagement
• Science journalism
• Science education programs
• Educational publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting science communication
2. Membership Program: Paid membership program including both corporate and individual members
3. Government Grants: Financial support from Government of South Australia and Commonwealth Government as foundation partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RiAus is a national science communication charity that connects the Australian community with science through multimedia content, public events, and educational programs. Its core offerings include the riaus.org.au digital platform, Australia's Science Channel, Cosmos Magazine, the SCINEMA International Science Film Festival, school and public education programs, and the Bragg Fellowship honouring distinguished Australian scientists.

Product overview

The Royal Institution of Australia is an independent charity and science communication organisation, not a technology product company. Its offerings consist of a portfolio of science media properties and programs: riaus.org.au serves as the primary digital platform for science news, videos, events, and educational resources; australiascience.tv is a dedicated science video platform with university and publisher subdomains; Cosmos Magazine is an acquired quarterly science publication; SCINEMA International Science Film Festival showcases science films with community screenings; Australia's Science Channel distributes science content across ABC platforms; and the Bragg Fellowship/Membership program honours distinguished Australian scientists. These products work together to fulfill the organisation's mission of connecting people with science through multimedia content, public events, and educational programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Australia's Science Channel: Digital platform delivering science content, films, and community screenings including SCINEMA International Science Film Festival
• The Science Exchange
• Cosmos Magazine
• Bragg Fellows

Products and services

• riaus.org.au digital platform Core website of RiAus, acting as the primary digital platform for accessing science news, videos, events, educational resources and programs for the Australian public.
• australiascience.tv Dedicated science video platform operated by RiAus, with university and publisher subdomains (uc.australiascience.tv, publisher.australiascience.tv), hosting original Australian science video content.
• Cosmos Magazine Quarterly national science publication that inspires curiosity in 'The Science of Everything' and makes the world of science accessible to a general audience.
• SCINEMA International Science Film Festival International science film festival showcasing Australian and international science films, with free community screenings during National Science Week reaching over 32,000 audience members through 300+ screenings.
• Australia's Science Channel Dedicated science news and video channel that delivers Australian science content across multiple platforms including ABC iView, ABC Science and ABC Education, and operates as the home of national community film screenings during National Science Week.
• Huh? Science Explained Shortcast Short-form audio science content co-created with LiSTNR, making science topics accessible to general Australian audiences through on-demand podcast-style shortcasts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reaching over 1 million people each month
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• LiSTNRcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2022Partnership with LiSTNR to release co-created shortcast 'Huh? Science Explained', making science accessible through audio format.
• ABCcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 September 2017Partnership to ensure audiences have access to original Australian science content from Australia's Science Channel, distributed across ABC platforms including iView, ABC Science and ABC Education.
• Royal Institution of Great BritainflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRiAus is the first and only sister organisation outside of the UK of the Royal Institution of Great Britain. The relationship was established through the Bragg Initiative, linking Australia and RiGB.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO: Australia's national science agency with public-facing communication programs, educational resources, and media partnerships; overlaps with RiAus in science communication but operates as a research-first government body.
• Australian Museum: Australia's oldest museum (Sydney) with natural history and science collections plus public programs; broader scope than RiAus but comparable in operating public science engagement and education programming.
• Science Museum Group: UK-based group operating major science museums (London, Manchester, York); a broader incumbent in the science museum and public engagement space that shares RiAus's public-facing science communication mission.

Direct peers

• Science Gallery International: Global network of science galleries targeting young adults through art-science collisions and exhibitions; comparable mission of engaging broader publics with science via events, exhibitions, and digital content.
• Exploratorium: San Francisco-based public learning laboratory combining museum exhibits with digital media and educator programs; a direct peer in science communication, public engagement, and multi-platform content production.
• New Scientist: Global science media brand producing magazine, digital content, and events covering accessible science; directly comparable to Cosmos Magazine and Australia's Science Channel in audience and editorial positioning.
• Questacon: Australia's National Science and Technology Centre based in Canberra; operates as a government-funded science museum and education center with similar mission of public science engagement, interactive exhibits, and school programs.
• Scientific American: Long-running science magazine and digital platform making science accessible to general readers; comparable to Cosmos Magazine in editorial format and target audience.
• Royal Institution of Great Britain: Historic London-based sister organization of RiAus; operates the Royal Institution's public lecture series, schools programming, and science media — RiAus is its first and only sister organization outside the UK.

Regional players

• Museums Victoria: Australian state-based museum operator (Melbourne Museum, Scienceworks, Immigration Museum); operates Australian science museums and education programs as a public-sector peer to RiAus's museum-adjacent activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/riaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/riaus

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Royal Institution of Australia