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Media Release

September 8 2006

World class minerals science research underpins resources boom

South Australian Senator and Minister for Finance and Administration, Senator Nick Minchin will officially launch the Australian Mineral Science Research Institute (AMSRI) in Adelaide today (Friday September 8, 2006).

The launch will be held at the Art Gallery of South Australia from 9.30 am to 12 noon.

AMSRI is a unique partnership between leading Australian researchers in minerals science and a global network of complementary researchers and industry collaborators.

The research institute is funded by industry, the participating universities, the State Government of South Australia and by the Australian Research Council. It is the largest ever single Linkage Grant awarded by the Australian Research Council.

Headquartered at UniSA’s Ian Wark Research Institute, AMSRI will strengthen Australian technological and scientific leadership in particle science and engineering, providing unique technology platforms embracing frugal water use, advanced materials and interface science, mathematics in minerals processing and innovative processing techniques.

Senator Minchin said AMSRI represented a strong Government commitment to the long term sustainable future of minerals processing and mining and the scientific research that underpins these important industries and the other new technologies that researchers hope to develop.

“The minerals industry contributes significantly to Australia’s economy and employment. The Commonwealth Government is providing $8.6m to this project through the ARC, and AMSRI’s research will play a key role in Australia’s future prosperity,” Senator Minchin said.

Leader of the AMSRI team, UniSA Laureate Professor John Ralston says the fundamental scientific research undertaken through the new institute will help to tackle some of the most significant technical, processing and production problems facing the minerals and mining industries.

“The research is transformational and will enable Australia’s primary export earner to maintain technical leadership in the decades to come,” Professor Ralston said.

“Not only does this help us to make the most of our resources by improving efficiencies and also factoring in important goals such as sustainability and environmental protection, but it also opens up the export potential of the new and clever technologies we hope to develop.

“AMSRI has a unique multi-disciplinary base, bringing together minerals companies, and, later, specialty chemical manufacturing, bio-pharmaceutical, environmental and electronic industries into a research interaction, that is critically important to Australia and unequalled worldwide.

“The research will address the major technical challenges facing the global minerals industry over the next 25 years but will also extend to other industries concerned with particle science and engineering.”

AMSRI collaborators include three ARC Special Research Centres, located at UniSA (Particle and Material Interfaces), the University of Melbourne (Particulate Fluids Processing) and the University of Newcastle (Multiphase Processes), together with one of the world's best engineering centres, the Julius Krutschnitt Mineral Research Centre at the University of Queensland.

Industry partners include BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Anglo Platinum, Phelps Dodge, Xstrata, and Orica. Together, these companies have committed $7.5 million through AMIRA International, the industry association which manages collaborative research for its global minerals industry members.

The Australian Research Council has provided $8.6 million to the five-year $22.6 million AMSRI research program, the four universities are contributing $4 million, and the South Australian State Government has provided $2.5 million for the Ian Wark Research Institute to establish the Institute’s HQ here in Adelaide.
 

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