Published: 16 July 2025 Updated: 16 July 2025

Semantic Search – What is it?

The FRDC has developed a new search tool to make exploring its funded research, development, and extension (RD&E) projects easier.

Semantic search is a new way to search that focuses on meaning, not just matching exact words.

Instead of looking for projects that contain the same keywords you typed, semantic search leverages advances in artificial intelligence to understand the intent behind your query. It compares your search to the overall ideas and concepts in each project - even if they use different wording/ terms.

For example, searching “What viral infections impact crustaceans in Australia?” might show you projects about White Spot Disease - even if your search doesn’t contain those exact words.

It’s especially helpful when:

  • You’re not sure which terms to use
  • You’re exploring unfamiliar topics
  • You want to find similar or related projects

This search tool works first by finding projects relevant to your query and then summarising these results into a digestible format.

This approach helps uncover more relevant and sometimes surprising connections across our RD&E corpus.

 

Tips and Tricks

Because this search tool focuses on meaning rather than exact words, it might behave differently from what you're used to - but that also makes it more powerful.

Here are a few ways to get the most out of it:

  • Search in full sentences or questions
    You don’t have to use exact terms. Try searching the way you’d ask a colleague:
    “Projects about climate change and fisheries”
  • Be specific when needed
    If results feel too broad, add detail to narrow things down:
    Instead of “fish,” try “economic value of commercial fish species in Tasmania”
  • Explore related results
    You might see projects that don’t use your words exactly - that’s because they’re connected by meaning, not just language. It’s a great way to discover new projects.
  • Use traditional terms too
    You can still search with keywords like species names, locations, or methods if you know exactly what you're looking for.

 

Additional Resources

Want to learn more about how semantic search works behind the scenes?

View Quicklinks