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Monday, 1 June 2009

A world-class research facility at the University of Adelaide will be boosted by a State Government funding injection of $5 million over five years.

The $5 million will help establish the new Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) at the University of Adelaide.

The funding adds to the Federal Government's $28.8 million Higher Education Endowment Fund (HEEF) contribution, announced in December last year.

The Institute will be led by Professor Tanya Monro, Federation Fellow in the School of Chemistry & Physics.

The new Institute aims to become the international leader in developing new technologies that will bring major benefits for health, the environment, industrial processes and defence systems. This will be done by bringing together leading research in optical fibres, lasers, luminescence, chemistry, proteomics and virology.

"The science of photonics underpins many modern defence capabilities including lasers, radar and electronic warfare systems," says Minister for Science and Information Technology Michael O'Brien.

"The IPAS funding will also support bio-security, solar and optical research areas."

Mr 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 new research hub at the University of Adelaide will overcome current accommodation constraints which are limiting its ability to further develop photonic technologies and their application in defence, national security and commercial purposes," Mr O'Brien says.