NSW has strong basic research groups in areas such as vascular biology, neurobiology, infectious disease and immunology.

The state's strengths extend also to clinical research in areas such as cardiovascular, respiratory, mental health, renal and liver diseases, HIV and clinical trials.

Thirteen of Australia’s Cooperative Research Centres are headquartered in NSW, and its many research institutions work with an additional 36 Centres. These programs involve industry partnerships to achieve commercial outcomes.

The Australian National Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is located in Sydney and is Australia's national nuclear research and development organisation. It hosts Australia's only nuclear reactor, the High Flux Australian Reactor (HIFAR), which produces radioactive products for use in medicine and industry.

Australian Technology Park, near the centre of Sydney, is Australia's premier research and technology park, providing the base for major research centres including the National Information and Computing Technologies Australia (NICTA), the Environmental Biotechnology CRC, the Smart Internet CRC, the Cancer Institute NSW and international biotech companies such as Johnson and Johnson Research.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has a significant presence in NSW, employing 1175 staff in 11 locations.