This submission proposes a new approach to funding for CDU through the Universities Accord so that future generations of Territorians continue to have access to world-class training and higher education. CDU is positioned to make a significant contribution to some of the nation’s biggest challenges: shoring-up energy and water security in the face of climate change; acknowledging our geopolitical environment to protect our national interests; and developing sustainable economic growth in Northern Australia, particularly for First Nations peoples. Case studies throughout this submission demonstrate that innovative research for Northern Australia is much more impactful when underpinned by First Nations knowledges appropriately interweaved ‘with’ Western knowledges.