MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, TRAINING AND YOUTH AFFAIRS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH STRENGTHENED BY MORE THAN $55 MILLION

"Australian universities will receive more than $55 million in Commonwealth funding over the next three years to upgrade libraries, laboratories and other research infrastructure," the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp, said today.

"The funding boost will enable universities to upgrade their research facilities to support the excellent research being undertaken in the sector," said Dr Kemp.

The funding, provided under the new Systemic Infrastructure Initiative, is yet another element of the Government’s $3 billion Backing Australia’s Ability package announced earlier this year, with a total of $246 million to be allocated over the next five years.

More than $22 million will be allocated to 22 proposals across Australia during 2002. Further competitive rounds will be held in 2002 and beyond.

"This initiative will have immense benefit for Australia’s ability to provide world class research. It is very clear from the bids that universities are thinking and planning in innovative and collaborative ways to strengthen Australia’s future competitiveness," said Dr Kemp

While a number of proposals were sole institution bids, others were submitted in partnership with other universities and industry, usually with financial support offered by the partners.

"I am particularly pleased to see the close partnerships being formed with industry. Not only are universities building strong collaborative links, they are also building strong strategic relationships," said Dr Kemp.

Successful proposals cover all states and territories of Australia, across a diverse range of areas, including broadband, library, equipment, laboratories, computing services and a range of other facilities.

"I am also pleased to announce that in addition to bids from universities and their partners, I have approved further funding of $3.79 million in 2002 for sector-wide initiatives to enhance the quality of research in three key areas: libraries, bandwidth and interconnectivity of education software and digital rights management standards," said Dr Kemp.

Further detail about the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative can be found at

http://www.detya.gov.au/highered/research/sys_research.htm

Details of successful proposals are attached.

Media Contact: Catherine Job (02) 6277 7460 or 0408 648 400

Successful proposals from the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative 2002.

New South Wales

Macquarie University - Advanced Technology for a Clever Geoscience Future in Australia

Systemic Infrastructure funding will assist in the purchase of high technology instruments of next generation standard to maintain leading edge in micro and nano analysis of solids and fluids in the geosciences and materials sciences. The equipment will be located in a purpose designed lab at Macquarie and operated as a shared facility with priority access for partners. $5,125,000 will be provided over three years, with $1,395,000 in 2002.

University of New South Wales - Business Intelligence Laboratory

The proposal is a response to a national need for more specialised high-performance computer facilities and support services for finance, accounting, marketing, information systems, economics and business researchers and students nationwide. The University of New South Wales will build a new decision support facility to leverage the research data-visualisation facility; data storage and processing for academics at 22 universities; new international business and capital markets research databases; a shared library of business and finance software and specialist IT tools; and, a larger national network of researchers and industry. $5,315,000 will be provided over three years, with $2,555,000 in 2002.

University of New South Wales - High Sensitivity, High Accuracy Mass Spectrometry for Advanced Molecular and Biomolecular Research

The approved proposal is to assist molecular and biomolecular research and research training through the installation of two complementary high speed, high accuracy mass spectrometers. The new equipment will provide up to 1000 times the sensitivity of existing equipment. This spectrometry facility will have the requisite technology and expertise to enable world-class research and will build on the UNSW facility to assist the shift in the life and medical sciences to research at the molecular level. $2,004,000 will be provided over three years, with $1,303,000 in 2002.

University of Sydney - Clinical Trial Data and Information Network

This funding will assist the development of web-based, data management infrastructure services to the Australian and Asian medical research and health communities to facilitate support for national clinical trials, evidence based medicine and disease registries. $4,610,000 will be provided over three years, with $3,030,000 in 2002.

University of Wollongong - Nanofabrication for Processing of Novel Multiplayer Materials

Funding will assist the establishment of a nanofabrication facility at the Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials at the University of Wollongong. The facility will allow atomic layer by layer deposition and allow fabrication of a wide range of superconductors, semi-conductors, micro lattices, etc that will enable Australia to undertake internationally competitive research and development, with benefits for Australian high tech industries. $1,477,500 will be provided over three years with $440,000 in 2002.



AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Australian National University - Upgrade Facilities at Siding Spring Observatory

The Australian National University will upgrade the Siding Spring Observatory to ensure the instrumentation is ‘cutting edge’ for the next ten years. The aim is to make the operation more efficient and cost effective, provide better service and support to other university users and to improve research and research training. The aims will be achieved by: providing new and upgrading existing instrumentation; automating the telescopes to reduce observing costs; developing software to allow remote operation; and providing telescope control centres to participating universities. $5,579,000 will be provided over three years with $1,327,000 in 2002.



Victoria

Deakin University - Advanced Materials Manufacturing and Performance Centre

Deakin University will establish a centre to carry out basic research building on its current role in materials fabrication and fibre technologies. This will support innovation in manufacturing, particularly in the automotive and textile industries. The proposal will enable researchers to manipulate the performance of materials to meet product requirements and achieve this within a shorter time period than is currently possible. The equipment required is a nano tube filament extrusion unit (the fibre extrusion unit would be the first of its kind in Australia), a Quickstep composite manufacturing apparatus (to assist process improvement and enhance the global competitiveness of Australian products) and an advanced formability tester. $1,685,000 will be provided over two years with $842,500 in 2002.

La Trobe University - Australian Research Library Network (ARLIN)

The approved proposal will enable the ARLIN portal prototype to be developed into a fully operational national system and to make it available to research students and staff of 19 universities, and eventually, all Australian universities. This requires funding for development of the software and the functionality of the system and the purchase of software licences for 1000 research students and staff. $2,823,900 will be provided over three years with $2,081,000 in 2002.

La Trobe University - Establish a Rapid DNA Assessment Facility for Population Biology Research and Research Training

This funding will assist the provision of high ‘through-put’ DNA analysing machines to assist with population research projects for La Trobe, the University of Queensland and Monash Universities. $562,400 will be provided in 2002.

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) - Spatial and Sonological Information Laboratory

The RMIT will purchase equipment and software to fit out and establish a facility to link researchers in the areas of visual, aural and digital design. This is a stand-alone component of the Digital Design Precinct. $508,200 will be provided in 2002.

University of Melbourne - Joint Academic Scholarships On-line Network (JASON)

The funding will provide a comprehensive database on scholarships to study at an Australian institution, to study overseas as part of an Australian degree or to study overseas at an overseas institution for an overseas qualification, by moving the database from a pilot stage to a fully functional and sustainable situation. $150,000 will be provided over three years, with $100,000 in 2002.

Victoria University of Technology - Large Scale Experimental Building Fire Facility

The proposal approved, provides for the construction of a building fire facility, built over an existing experimental facility. The facility will be used for research on fire in enclosures, smoke generation and smoke movement in buildings, ships, tunnels, etc. The building will include facilities for the rapid construction of experimental buildings and parts of buildings and positioning of instrumentation over and within these buildings. $2,000,000 will be provided over two years, with $400,000 in 2002.

Swinburne University of Technology - Integrated Microfabrication Facility

The funding will assist the provision of a new add-on, microfabrication laboratory with clean room facilities, thin film deposition and photolithography infrastructure and sample characterisation equipment, and a laboratory manager to supervise the facility and provide specialist training to postgraduate students. $1,976,000 will be provided over three years with $1,674,000 in 2002.



Queensland

James Cook University - Marine Research and Education Network

This funding will upgrade and strengthen major marine research and training infrastructure along a 1200km network on the Great Barrier Reef and coastal Queensland. This represents a long-term strategy for sustainable, cost effective and prominent research in the tropical marine sciences. Funding will be used to integrate and modernise university infrastructure at five island research stations. Strategic long-term benefits include an integrated and networked monitoring system for detecting and understanding environmental change in some of Australia’s most sensitive marine ecosystems. $10,760,000 will be provided over three years, with $2,210,000 in 2002.

University of Queensland - BIAcore 3000 for Discovery and Characteristics of Novel Pharmaceuticals

The University of Queensland will acquire the instrument, BIAcore 3000, which is currently lacking within drug development groups in South East Queensland. This instrument allows greater sensitivity, sophistication and higher throughput ability for drug design and development. $357,650 will be provided in 2002.

University of Queensland - Upgrading of Hypersonics Facilities

The funding will be used to improve the equipment and instrumentation level of the hypersonics facility and establish a payload proving laboratory to facilitate flight testing of new hypersonic propulsion and aerodynamic concepts. $434,625 will be provided in 2002.



Western Australia

Curtin University of Technology - A SHRIMP Ion Microprobe Facility for Earth Sciences

The funding will be used to purchase a new Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe SHRIMP II facility and develop the facility to work with stable isotopes. This has application in minerals industry, ore deposit research, petroleum industry, academic research, nationally and internationally. $3,400,157 will be provided over three years with $1,000,000 in 2002.

The University of Western Australia - Australian Research Libraries Collection Analysis Project (ARLCAP)

This project will use an IT tool to develop a model for collection analysis that can be used for optimising the acquisition and use of combined information resources. Using this model, the project will undertake a detailed comparison and analysis of the holdings of the major Australian academic research libraries and the National Library of Australia that relate to South East Asia, South Asia, southern and eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands and benchmark this to the SOAS collection. $236,000 will be provided in 2002.

The University of Western Australia - ACIGA-LIGO High Optical Power Test Facility (HOPTF)

The funding will enable the Australian Consortium for Interferometric Gravitational Astronomy (ACIGA) to undertake research in collaboration with the $1 billion Laser Interferometer Gravity Observatory (LIGO) run by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. Research undertaken at ACIGA’s research facility at Gingin in Western Australia will evaluate the very high power interferometry essential for the Advanced LIGO facility and provide Australian researchers with access 100% of the data produced by the US facility. $4,830,000 will be provided over 2002 to 2004. $840,000 will be provided in 2002.



South Australia

University of Adelaide - High Resolution 3D-imaging of Intact Root Systems in Soil

The funding will assist in the purchase of equipment, hardware and software, plus research support to facilitate rapid production and interpretation of 3D images of undisturbed root systems in soil from a state of the art scanner. $400,000 will be provided over three years with $210,000 in 2002.

Flinders University of South Australia - Installation of a High Speed Advanced Network in South Australia

This approved proposal will provide a high speed network between the three SA university sites, via a 15 year Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU), over the SA Electricity Trust (ETSA) bandwidth between the campuses. This will provide 1 Gbps capacity in metropolitan Adelaide and 2Mbs for regional links. In 2003 bandwidth will be increased to 10 Gbps. $500,000 will be provided in 2002.



TASMANIA

University of Tasmania - Upgrade of UV Radiation Monitoring Capabilities

The University of Tasmania will purchase equipment to measure global and diffuse Ultraviolet-B radiation and stratospheric ozone, as well as underwater UV irradiance. The funding will also cover the maintenance of equipment, installation costs and personnel training. The equipment will allow research to be undertaken with a world quality system, in some cases in cooperation with the industry partners, into ultraviolet radiation and the environment. $500,000 will be provided in 2002.

29 October 2001

