A substantial funding commitment from the Australian government will equip some of the country’s top universities to carry out research in a number of key industries, including mining.
Minister for Education Christopher Pyne recently announced the establishment of seven new research hubs spread across the country, which will take advantage of more than $23.9 million in funding. These research hubs will play a vital role in tackling some of the most pressing issues in industries such as mining, agriculture and manufacturing.
The government is providing the support through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Industrial Transformation Research Hubs scheme. Meanwhile, industry partners – including some of the biggest multi-national names such as BHP Billiton – are also chipping in with their own funding.
Mr Pyne stressed that the research will be critical to securing the longevity of some of the country’s most important sectors.
“These new research hubs will support collaborative R&D projects that address challenging industry issues; indeed 26 industry partner organisations are contributing more than $36.4 million cash and in-kind for these new research projects,” Mr Pyne said.
“The Australian government is committed to a vibrant research sector with strong industry collaboration. This particular scheme allows us to deliver exactly that.”
With the seven hubs spanning a number of diverse industry areas, some of the leading Australian universities will be taking charge of mining and resources research. The University of Newcastle, for example, will be exploring advanced technologies for Australian iron ore, thanks to a funding allocation of $3.3 million.
Meanwhile, the University of Tasmania will be able to use its pool of almost $4 million to conduct research on transforming and optimising the mining value chain.
Thanks to some of the leading names in Australian research having access to such substantial funds, the country’s mining sector could be in line for a timely and much-needed boost.
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