UTAS tops the nation in latest Australian Research Council grants
The University of Tasmania has secured $27m in collaborative research funding from government and industry for two significant projects as part of the Industrial Transformation Research funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
The funding will support world-class research with high economic impact in Tasmania, in areas such as sensor technology, aquaculture, food production and sustainability and supply chain management.
The Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme encourages collaborative projects to address challenging industry issues and is dependent on attracting private and international investment in targeted industry sectors.
The two successful projects are a rock lobster project through the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies with a total value of $16.9m and a "Pathways to Market" project through Sense-T with a total value of $10.1m, providing UTAS with a $27m research funding boost. This funding is expected to deliver up to a further $5m in research infrastructure funding from the federal government.
UTAS is one of only two universities to receive funding through the scheme, out of nine universities that applied and leads the nation in the latest round of ARC funding.
The $7.5 million ARC funding component represents 52 per cent of the government funding awarded nationally for the research hubs, placing UTAS as the lead funding recipient.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Rathjen congratulated UTAS researchers on their success, which he said reflected the outstanding research environment at the University.
UTAS has been building a world-class research base for many years and today as results highlight the strength of our global research relationships and the exceptional quality of our researchers.
This funding will leverage our local advantages into research that not only supports national priorities but also delivers global impact in terms of outcomes that benefit society as a whole.
These projects will deliver a clear economic benefit to Tasmania as the Universityâs research outcomes translate into benefits for industry and investment in local communities.
"It is pleasing to see an increase in our research funding, particularly when public funding for research is so tight. The University's reputation for quality research has been strengthened by today's funding announcement," he said.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Paddy Nixon says the latest ARC results are further proof that the University of Tasmania is one of the top universities in Australia for research.
"This is an excellent result for the University of Tasmania, with an extremely high calibre of research hubs being funded by the ARC," Prof Nixon says.
"The new funding announced today will drive research across Tasmania that has the potential to make a huge impact on industry outcomes, the environment and the food chain, how we use technology to understand environmental change and other fields in Australia and right around the world.
"I am especially pleased with the strong support we have had for research projects in partnership with industry. Industry links are critical to the University of Tasmania, and these partnerships result in real benefits for the State and the nation," he says.
Read more details on the ARC site
Industrial Transformation Research Hubs
Total project value: $16.9 million
Project summary: Researchers will partner with industry to develop innovative aquaculture technology to produce rock lobsters. The Hub will develop sophisticated culture systems, using unique engineering, state-of-the art hatcheries and plastic manufacturing.
Commercial opportunities will result for Australian companies in an international, multi-million dollar aquaculture venture that aims at sustainable food production.
Australia will benefit from more sustainable wild fisheries enhanced through release of seed lobsters.
Project: Pathways to market: Food production, provenance and choice; Sense-T
Total project value: $10.1 million
Project summary: The Pathways to Market research hub aims to transform the Australian food industry by innovatively integrating leading-edge applied research with commercial partner expertise and business priorities in two distinct food supply chains.
The hub will demonstrate how new knowledge on food production and consumption generated through novel sensing technologies and advanced modelling techniques can be implemented in smart applications.
The hub will produce the world's first holistic investigation of how intelligent use of information can contribute to powering food industry competitiveness, environmental sustainability and innovation in food value chains from producers through to end-consumers
Image: (left to right) Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Paddy Nixon and Professor Mark Tamplin, TIA.
Published on: 01 May 2013 4:12pm