The Australian Antarctic program continues to be a highly collaborative and internationalised science program during the first year of the International Polar Year (IPY), 2007–08.

A total of 112 projects from 35 institutions were undertaken within the Australia’s Antarctic program. These projects collaborated with 220 institutions from 27 countries. Four of these projects were submitted by chief investigators from outside Australia, including projects from the UK, New Zealand and Japan.

A total of 169 scientists travelled south in 2007–08, including 117 marine scientists. The new jet service from Hobart to Casey delivered 20 scientists to the Antarctic to undertake their research at Casey and Davis. Of the 169 scientists who travelled south there were 131 from Australia including 34 from the Antarctic Division and 38 scientists from overseas, (with 13 from France, 9 from the America, 5 from the England, 3 from Japan, 3 from China, 2 each from Germany and Norway, and 1 each from Finland, India, Ukraine and New Caledonia).

The program supported 134 higher degree students including 94 PhD students.

The number of publications from 2007, the last complete year for which the data are complete, was 265 of which 125 were in the peer-reviewed international literature and 35 contributed to supporting Australia’s position in CCAMLR and IWC.