One of the key outcomes from the National Seed Science Forum, held in March 2016, was this Seed Science Research Front, which distils some of the current thinking and contemporary research being pursued in the Australian region. The papers included provide a snapshot of seed science across the country, from the Pilbara in the north west, to the islands of the South Pacific. Of particular note is the growth in germplasm conservation of native and agricultural floras, in line with, and at the forefront of, international collaborative efforts.