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Media Release

May 16 2007

Two-way traffic fertile ground for UniSA-India relations

UniSA research collaboration supports Indian train servicesRelations between UniSA and India will be further strengthened by three bilateral research projects to receive Federal Government funding.

Dr Jack Desbiolles from UniSA's Agricultural Machinery Research and Design Centre (AMRDC) has been awarded more than $20,000 from the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) to lead a one-year pilot project looking at ways to promote leading-edge conservation farming practice in South India and Australia.

The project involves the formation a strategic alliance between the AMRDC and India’s Tamil Nadu Agricultural University.

“Conservation farming keeps evolving into more sustainable formats,” Dr Desbiolles said.

“Our project will look at recent advances in this area which not only increase productivity through improved soil fertility and water-use efficiency, but through environmental benefits such as reductions in soil loss and greenhouse gas emissions.”

Two postdoctoral researchers have each been awarded $22,500 Endeavour India Research Fellowships.

Dr Sekhar Somenahalli from UniSA’s Transport Systems Centre will research public transport service planning at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

“Public transport service planning is of great importance not only for developing country like India, but Australia as well,” Dr Somenahalli said.

And Dr Amiya Panda from the University of North Bengal will undertake research at UniSA’s Ian Wark Research Institute into new forms of artificial surface-active agents used in the treatment of respiratory diseases.

Pro Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation, Professor Caroline McMillen said that she was delighted that these Department of Education, Science and Training funding programs will support and build on the range of collaborative research activities that exist between UniSA and India.

“These AISRF and Endeavour Fellowships strengthen bilateral ties and provide an important opportunity to showcase our research capacity in areas of high impact,” she said.

“The University is delighted that Dr Desbiolles’ team has been successful in the very first round of AISRF funding. And Drs Somenahalli and Panda are each winners of one of only five Endeavour awards offered in their respective countries. This is a very impressive achievement.”

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