$500 million boost for Australian science infrastructure

Australian science infrastructure will be upgraded by $500 million in Australian government funding announced by the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop.

"The investments, provided under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), are essential to build our national capacity to generate knowledge and use it to advance our economic, social and environmental objectives," Bishop said.

"The infrastructure will support emerging industries, such as nanotechnology and biotechnology products, underpin mature industries and help to address national challenges, such as generating sustainable energy and managing our natural resources."

Among the many successful projects are programs that will:

• Establish a national network of medical imaging facilities across Australia;
• Provide facilities to support gene discovery and genome analysis in universities and specialist centres around Australia;
• Establish a comprehensive fabrication capability for Australia's emerging nanotechnology industry;
• Develop a Networked Biosecurity Framework to improve collaboration between the existing agencies and institutions involved in biosecurity research, to help prevent the entry into Australia of new diseases and pathogens.

Facilities are being developed by a collaborative effort between the Australian government, state and territory governments, universities, research agencies and industry. An extra $640 million in cash and in-kind contributions have been pledged thus far for the facilities, in addition to the NCRIS funding.

"This $500 million investment will enable researchers to move ahead on issues of national importance such as climate change, conserving biodiversity and the development of new drugs and therapies. It will also help to address fundamental research in the life sciences, physical sciences and optical and radio astronomy," Bishop said.