In 2025, the Institute of Intelligence Professionalisation (IIP) was established with a clear purpose: to create an organisation by practitioners, for practitioners. Born from the shared vision of experienced professionals, IIP exists to strengthen and support the ongoing professionalisation of the intelligence community through collaboration, learning, and ethical stewardship.
At its core, IIP is guided by unwavering values – integrity, ethical behaviour, and honesty. These principles shape every initiative, ensuring that our work fosters trust and professionalism across the myriad of intelligence sectors.
Our mission is clear: to support the development of, and provide stewardship to, a professional, agile, and connected intelligence community. We believe that by empowering practitioners with resources, standards, and opportunities for growth, we can build a future-ready community that thrives on adaptability and collaboration.
A central part of IIP’s work this year has been listening to practitioners across the intelligence community regarding their experiences with and ideas for nationally accredited training. The Intelligence Training Survey was designed to capture views from different sectors, roles, and experience levels, helping ensure future training reflects how intelligence is actually practised. Building this evidence base is essential before any accredited training is finalised.
A key milestone in our 2025 journey has been our close partnership with AIPIO in supporting the announcement of their Certification program for Australian practitioners and leaders – a significant step forward for professional recognition within the intelligence community.
We’ve also had the privilege of collaborating with a diverse group of talented authors and thought leaders who have contributed insightful, thought-provoking content to our Blog. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve seen these ideas sparking meaningful conversations across the community.
As we look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to explore a range of new themes and perspectives on our blog. If you have ideas you’d like to see featured – or insights you’d like to share – please reach out. We’d love to hear from you!
Looking ahead, IIP is focused on laying the foundations for nationally accredited intelligence training. In 2025, our priority has been to develop the training framework and governance documentation and to build the evidence base required for accreditation. A key part of this work is the Intelligence Training Survey, which is currently open and gathering practitioner input across the sector.
The survey results will inform the design, scope, and sequencing of future qualifications, ensuring they are practical, relevant, and aligned with real workforce needs. An interim findings report will be released in late January 2026 and shared with the community through the IIP blog and website. We also look forward to announcing our training offerings and developing partnerships with established training organisations interested in delivering nationally recognised intelligence training aligned with sector needs.
Click on the link to access the online survey: https://intelprofession.com/intelligence-training-needs-survey
Beyond training, IIP is already collaborating with industry partners and professional bodies to uplift intelligence skills and evolve tradecraft offerings, ensuring these remain relevant in an era of rapid technological change. This includes enabling the integration of advanced technologies across multiple intelligence disciplines.
As IIP moves into 2026, our focus remains on building strong foundations: listening to practitioners, developing fit-for-purpose frameworks, and strengthening professional standards across the intelligence community. This work takes time, care, and collaboration. We will also look to expand our scope to explore the evolving role of intelligence supporting the information domain – but more to come on this exciting development in the new year.
We are grateful to the practitioners, contributors, and partners who have supported IIP’s first year, and we invite continued engagement as this work progresses. Together, we can shape a professional intelligence community that is credible, ethical, and equipped for the challenges ahead.
AI tools were used to assist with structuring and editing for clarity. All views expressed are those of the author(s) and are offered to support open, respectful discussion. The Institute for Intelligence Professionalisation values independent and alternative perspectives, provided safety, privacy, and dignity are upheld.