Over $280 million for nine new ARC Centres of Excellence

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham has announced $283.5 million in funding to set up nine new Australian Research Council (ARC) Centres of Excellence, all of which relate to the federal government’s Science and Research Priorities.

Birmingham said the funding represents “an investment in Australia’s future”, claiming that previous Centres of Excellence have been “the birthplaces of research that has changed lives”.

“These [new] Centres of Excellence have been picked out of nearly 100 detailed applications that went through an extensive assessment process by independent experts whose selection criteria focused on how the research aligns with Australia’s national interest and ensures collaboration across different institutions and with businesses,” he said.

The ARC Centres of Excellence commencing in 2017 are as follows:

• The ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions, at The Australian National University, will answer fundamental questions in astrophysics, including the origin of matter and the periodic table of elements, and the origin of ionisation in the universe.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence of Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, at the University of Wollongong, will establish an interdisciplinary research program to understand Australia’s unique biodiversity and heritage.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes, at The University of New South Wales (UNSW), will transform Australia’s capacity to predict future climate extremes through data modelling, research collaboration and researcher training programs.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems, at The University of Queensland, will harness the quantum world for the future health, economy, environment and security of Australian society.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, at Swinburne University of Technology, will explore the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence in Exciton Science, at The University of Melbourne, will manipulate the way light energy is absorbed, transported and transformed in advanced molecular materials.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low Energy Electronics Technologies, at Monash University, will develop the scientific foundation and intellectual property for new electronics technologies.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research, at UNSW, will undertake multidisciplinary research that will inform social and economic responses to population ageing.
• The ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, at UNSW, will develop new technology expected to provide a strategic advantage in a world where information and security are increasingly important.

“These centres involve significant research collaboration which will allow the concentration of complementary research resources of universities, publicly funded research organisations, other research bodies, governments and businesses to support outstanding research,” said the ARC’s acting CEO, Leanne Harvey.

“Seven Australian universities will administer these ARC Centres of Excellence, involving a further 163 participating organisations from across 27 countries — together, they will provide a total of $761.4 million in cash and in-kind support.”