Clare McLaughlin is Counsellor (Education and Science) at the Australian Mission to the European Union in Brussels. Clare’s role is to maintain and strengthen Australia's engagement with the science, research and innovation systems in Europe. Prior to this position, Clare was General Manager, Research Funding and Infrastructure in the Science and Research Division of the Australian Department of Innovation, where she led the development of research infrastructure policy and implementation of large-scale projects funded from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and the Education Investment Fund (EIF).