$2.2M boost for research equipment and infrastructure
The four University projects funded under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) scheme include the world鈥檚 first comprehensive digital economy regulation database and specialist facilities for drug development.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Emma Johnston said the funding would bolster the University鈥檚 world-class research facilities and provide academics at Sydney, as well as collaborators from other universities and industry, the opportunity to conduct specialist research to address key issues facing Australia and the world.聽
These new facilities will enable scientists to build new materials that are more resilient to Australia鈥檚 harsh climate and 鈥榮mart windows鈥� that capture sunlight and convert it to electricity, for more sustainable living.
鈥淭hey will facilitate deep dives into molecular pathways for drug development and allow academics to provide in-depth advice to governments on regulating the digital economy.聽
鈥淐ongratulations to all those involved in getting these projects off the ground. I look forward to hearing more about their progress," Professor Johnston said.
Professor Terry Flew, from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and team will work on a $215,000 project to develop the world鈥檚 first comprehensive database to track developments in digital and internet regulation internationally. This will enable researchers to provide insights to the ICT industry, policy-makers, and advocacy groups, and place Australia at the forefront of regulatory best-practice in the digital economy.
Professor Anita Ho-Baillie聽(pictured above), from the Faculty of Science and the聽, and team have been awarded around $500,000 for specialist facilities micro- and nano-scale material processing and device fabrication, which will enable the development of 鈥榮mart windows鈥� that can harness sunlight to power buildings, ultra-violet sensors for preventing skin cancer and sensors for detecting greenhouse gases.
Professor Michael Kassiou聽(pictured above),聽from the聽Faculty of Science听补苍诲听, and team will receive just over $1 million to create a radiochemistry facility that will enable the development of new drugs and the investigation of mechanisms and molecular pathways, including how brain plasticity contributes to predictive learning.
Professor Chris Ling, from the聽Faculty of Science听补苍诲听, and team have been awarded around $550,000 for Australia's first in-house suite of instruments to complement and enhance capabilities at the聽. The project will enable scientists and engineers to learn new information about structure and bonding in functional materials and molecules, in order to improve their performance.聽聽