MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY, SCIENCE  AND TECHNOLOGY

SENATOR PETER COOK NEWS RELEASE

116/94 8 June 1994

FUNDING IN MINIATURE

Today marks a number o f firsts for Australian Science.

I presented the (physically) smallest cheque - three million Nanometres - to research groups establishing  Australia's first Nanotechnology Network.

The cheque, for three million dollars, was reproduced on a gold plated silicon chip and is only visible  through a microscope.

In a second milestone, I tabled the cheque in the Senate during question time.

This is the smallest item ever tabled in Federal Parliament.

The cheque is available for view at the Senate tabling office.

Nanotechnology represents a technological revolution.

In essence, nanotechnology is engineering with atoms and manipulating atoms and molecules to construct  new miniature devices which will perform entirely new functions as well as improving existing functions.

The new funding, announced in the recent White paper, will enable Australian science to maintain its place  at the head o f world research in this new frontier technology.

Contact: Don Mackay, Minister's office - (06) 2777580

NR 436

