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Media Release

September 15 2009

UniSA research merger builds capacity at Mawson Institute

ACeSSS merger with Mawson Institute strengthens researchUniSA’s Division of Information Technology, Engineering and the Environment (ITEE) is set to combine two of its key research concentrations to build a science research force with broader reach and capacity in the fields of advanced manufacturing, materials and structural analysis.

The Mawson Institute and the Applied Centre for Structural and Synchrotron Studies (ACeSSS) will merge to form an expanded Mawson Institute from this month.

UniSA Pro Vice Chancellor for ITEE, Professor Andrew Parfitt says the enhanced Mawson Institute will be able to work across a broader range of disciplines, tap into a larger pool of researchers and facilities and gain access to a wider range of funding sources.

“This merger aligns with the University’s objective to create scale and focus in research fields that have local, national and international relevance,” Prof Parfitt says.

Established to support SA manufacturing industries into the future, the Mawson Institute has firm endorsement from the State, with funding of $8 million and a $6 million co-investment from UniSA.

Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education Michael O’Brien says the funding is part of the State Government’s commitment to the commercialisation of research and to increasing expenditure on research and development facilities.

The Mawson Institute’s principal research strength is in the areas of surface engineering and thin film coating technologies, with many of its researchers working across multidisciplinary fields in surface engineering, biomaterials, nano-manufacturing and ergonomics.

ACeSSS is a research centre for structural, compositional and synchrotron studies (bulk and surface) of reactions and processing in the areas of environmental systems, mining and minerals assessment and separation, materials design and energy applications.

The Centre has been the recipient of more than $7 million in research funding in the form of ARC and industry grants since its inception, with awards of $1.5 million in the last round of ARC Linkage grants.

Professor Parfitt says the combined strengths of the new Mawson Institute have the potential to offer stakeholders access to world-class multidisciplinary research.

Director of the Mawson Institute Professor Rob Short says the strengthened Mawson Institute offers huge research benefits for SA.

“This merger allows us to continue to build capability and capacity in materials and manufacturing in South Australia and to create a new significant international presence,” Prof Short says.

“The new Institute will both deliver and accelerate transformational change in our manufacturing base.”

Professor Andrea Gerson, Director of ACeSSS is equally optimistic about the new development.

“The staff and students at ACeSSS are excited about the merger with the Mawson because it will give us access to broader strengths and capabilities and facilitate further growth of world-class research," she said.

The new Mawson Institute, with a turnover in excess of $5 million a year, will be home to about 50 researchers.

New projects starting in 2010 will include advanced manufacturing materials and environmental engineering to deliver high quality drinking water; the use of motion capture and anthropometric data for ergonomically designed vehicle packages; the development of manufacturing processes for improved pigment performance and the development of improved strategies for mitigation against acid rock drainage, a serious environmental concern.

As a combined operation, the Institute will now be working with 62 local and international partners, from cooperative research centres, leading industry bodies and manufacturers to national and international universities and synchrotrons worldwide.

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