Managing the impacts of existing pests and diseases already costs Australia over $25 billion annually, with the threat of new incursions is ever-present. To help bolster Australia's defence against biosecurity threats, CSIRO, together with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) have developed and launched a joint Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity (CAB) initiative. Growth in trade and tourism, and changes in climate and land use are causing increases in the number and complexity of biosecurity risks, creating new challenges for governments, industry and community. The release of the National Biosecurity Strategy and its implementation planning is underway. The National Biosecurity Strategy recognises the important role that innovation and new technologies will have in continuing to evolve the system and address our increasing risks. Against this backdrop, the CAB initiative will seek to make significant advances by harnessing cutting-edge technologies, digital systems, and innovative capabilities to safeguard Australia’s agricultural industries, environmental biodiversity, and ecosystem services. CAB is a collaborative biosecurity research, development and innovation program that aims to operate across the national biosecurity innovation ecosystem with a goal is to improve long-term national biosecurity outcomes by supporting the delivery of innovative technologies, digital systems and capabilities that transform performance. It's all about partnerships. It's about facilitating new connections across the existing biosecurity R&D and innovation landscape and attracting new investors. CAB aims to provide more information about what biosecurity R&D and innovation programs are already underway, and where the gaps are. This should help to direct the significant investment into projects that can make the most impact in terms of strengthening our biosecurity system. CAB research will span from offshore to at the border to on-farm, and from prevention to ongoing management. This talk highlights the context of CAB and what it hopes to achieve and generate impact.