Media Release
December 12 2008
$40 million to support UniSA's world class minerals and materials research hub
The
University of South Australia has been awarded $40 million through the
Federal Government’s Education Investment Fund (EIF)
toward a $73
million landmark education and international research facility at Mawson
Lakes, for which the State Government of South Australia has also
pledged support.
The Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research Hub will comprise a dynamic cluster of linked education and research activities galvanised by UniSA’s internationally acclaimed Ian Wark Research (The Wark™) and Mawson Institutes.
A Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research building will sit at the heart of the Hub and house state-of-the-art facilities for the next generation of engineering, materials and minerals science graduates and researchers.
The new facilities have been backed by Government at Federal and State level and a cross-section of industry and will be designed and constructed to achieve a minimum Five Star green star ecological and environmentally sustainable rating.
UniSA’s Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President: Research and Innovation, Professor Caroline McMillen welcomed the funding announcement as a coup for both UniSA and the State.
“The Materials and Minerals Science Learning and Research building and Hub will play a central role in addressing high-end skills needs in areas critical for sustainable national and economic growth – particularly science and technology.”
Prof McMillen says the combined facilities are expected to almost double the number of undergraduate, honours and postgraduate students by 2016 and follows significant investment in the Mawson Lakes campus to boost its prominence in the future growth of both South Australia and UniSA.
“We have worked extensively in conjunction with State and Federal Governments and industry partners to build the foundation elements of the Hub – which include the new Mawson Institute, investment in the construction of a Nanofabrication and Characterisation Facility and establishment of the headquarters of the Australian Mineral and Science Research Institute (AMSRI), both at The Wark™,” Prof McMillen said.
The building design caters for Bachelor of Engineering students, specialising in materials, advanced manufacturing, minerals science, nanotechnology or sustainable systems engineering.
Director of the Ian Wark Research Institute, Laureate Professor John Ralston says the multi-disciplinary laboratories and contemporary learning and research spaces will foster extraordinary creativity and innovation in each of these areas.
“We will see undergraduate, honours and postgraduate research students brought together with industry staff and researchers from The Wark™ and Mawson Institutes, as well as staff from related disciplines including mathematics and systems engineering.
“With such extensive collaborative opportunity, the Hub is ideally placed to advance the State’s regional technological capacity with enormous knowledge development and transfer to local, national and international industry.
“This includes exciting developments in ultra lightweight vehicles, special drug delivery systems, simple, fast processes for producing metals at near room temperature, special optical coatings as well as intelligent ways of minimizing energy consumption.”
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Høj said this was the most significant Government investment in any capital works project the University had undertaken.
“It demonstrates the high level of confidence the Government has in UniSA to deliver on the world science and technology stage,” Prof Høj said.
“The new research hub will operate as an international centre of excellence from which we hope to drive significant transformational change in Australia’s key industry sectors including mining, manufacturing, defence and systems engineering,” Prof Høj said.
“The development will also give the State and the University an enormous opportunity to contribute to the development of a globally competitive Australian University system through excellence in education and research.
Construction on the new building is set to commence in 2009 for 2012 completion.
Media contact
-
Linda Hein office (08) 8302 0965 mobile 0411 257 029
email linda.hein@unisa.edu.au