Curtin University of Technology will undertake tens of millions of dollars worth of research as part of its successful involvement in four national Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) announced by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research .
The four CRCs will receive more than $92 million in Federal Government funds, as well as millions more in industry support and in-kind investment from a number of research organisations.
A substantial amount of this will go into research projects conducted at Curtin.
Professor Linda Kristjanson, Curtin’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development, said participation in these CRCs meant Curtin increased its cutting-edge research and collaboration in a number of key areas.
“Involvement in these national CRCs is a great opportunity for Curtin,” she said.
“The government and industry funding will provide Curtin’s students and researchers with the resources they need to perform world leading research in a number of areas vital to WA’s economy.
“In the long term this will provide a number of advantages for local businesses, and new employment opportunities for young people in Western Australia.”
Curtin is a partner in the new CRC Mining, as well as the CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, Deep Exploration Technologies CRC and the CRC for Spatial Information. These CRCs will focus on leading edge research in a number of areas:
• CRC Mining – designed to deliver innovative technologies and systems to the Australian mining industry, this program has a total budget of more than $60 million.
• The CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies – involves a total budget of more than $100 million to develop carbon capture and storage technologies.
• The Deep Exploration Technologies CRC – with a budget of about $100 million dollars over eight years, this CRC is intended to develop new technologies to safely explore deep under the Earth’s surface, to find so far undiscovered mineral wealth.
• CRC for Spatial Information – involves the establishment of a coordinated national network of satellite system reference stations and the formation of the Australian Spatial Marketplace. This CRC will have a budget of more than $150 million to create a potent collaboration on all research and education issues concerning satellite positioning and mapping in Australia, and will involve industries as diverse as agriculture, logistics, health and defence.
Mark Woffenden, Executive Director of Curtin’s new Resources and Chemistry Precinct, said the CRC Mining was of particular importance to Western Australia and the mining industry.
“Much of Australia’s mineral wealth is covered by up to a kilometre of highly weathered rocks, making it difficult to reach,” he said.
“We need new technologies if we are to safely find and mine much of Australia’s ore deposits.
“This Cooperative Research Centre is an excellent example of industry and the research community establishing a major new research and education collaboration for the minerals industry.”
The Cooperative Research Centres Program is a Federal Government initiative in which government, industry and research organisations co-invest in innovative research to benefit Australia.
