This month the Institute released its 2021 annual report. Every year, the annual report offers a fantastic opportunity to capture the successes of the Institute and its researchers, and depicts the challenges and achievements of researchers in ADI in 2021, highlighting the traditional academic outputs, grant wins, policy impact and other important public engagement that the Institute undertakes.

The year 2021 presented another difficult year, but through its highly regarded experts, the Institute has continued to excel and make an impact. ADI researchers have lent their expertise to a range of government inquiries in Australia – from media diversity to extremist movements and radicalism; and they have contributed to numerous policy discussions, including the impact of COVID on communities, surveillance legislation, privacy and the internet of things.

The events of 2021 highlight the need for the rigorous, multi-disciplinary research undertaken within ADI to understand the political, cultural and social impacts of these developments. In responding to these new and old challenges, our researchers appeared in the media more than 530 times, commenting on important topics ranging from entrenched social inequalities, to political leadership and good governance, as well as the war in Ukraine and the implications of China’s more assertive foreign policy in the region. ADI continued to embed digital ways of working into our activities while sustaining our research, dissemination and impact agenda. We strengthened connections with our communities and key partners and were awarded new funding for research that will orient the Institute towards the ‘post-pandemic’ recovery.