KEY POINTS
- NCRIS provides funding to develop and fund national research infrastructure projects.
- NCRIS is providing $542 million from 2004-05 to 2010-2011.
- The Government has highlighted the importance of encouraging collaboration between research organisations and industry as a means of meeting national research challenges. This collaboration will be central to building an effective national research capability.
- NCRIS is one program that has adopted a strategic and collaborative approach to providing research infrastructure that can be accessed by researchers across Australia. This type of collaboration is proving effective in delivering wider access to better infrastructure.
- For example, the Australian National Fabrication Facility is being developed under NCRIS to establish a comprehensive fabrication capability for Australia’s fast emerging nanotechnology industry. Several universities, the CSIRO, business and State governments are participating in this national, collaborative initiative.
- A key enabler of research collaboration is the computing, data management and electronic communication tools provided by the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The Government is supporting the deployment of these ICT tools so that researchers can easily share access to research data and collaborate in analysing the data.
- The NCRIS Committee has undertaken a review of the NCRIS Roadmap in consultation with research communities and the Strategic Roadmap for Australian Research Infrastructure will be released in August 2008. The new Roadmap presents a renewed and strategic assessment of where future infrastructure investments should be made to support excellent Australian research.
FACTS AND FIGURES
Purpose
NCRIS is providing funding to develop and fund national research infrastructure projects. Through NCRIS the Australian Government is implementing a strategic and collaborative approach to investment in world-class research facilities, networks and infrastructure that are accessible to all researchers across Australia on the basis of merit.
Proposed annual budget over the program’s life
NCRIS is providing $542 million from 2004-05 to 2010-2011, including administered expenses as shown below:
|
2005-06
$ |
2006-07
$ |
2007-08
$ |
2008-09
$ |
2009-10
$ |
2010-11
$ |
Total
$ |
|
13,151,000 |
78,196,000 |
120,597,000 |
102,800,000 |
105,208,000 |
107,509,000 |
527,461,000 |
Eligibility and target audience
Independent external facilitators were commissioned by the NCRIS Committee to develop investment plans for priority capabilities identified in the 2006 Strategic Roadmap. Funding has been allocated to the following NCRIS capabilties:
- Evolving biomolecular platforms and informatics
- Integrated biological systems
- Characterisation
- Fabrication
- Biotechnology products
- Networked biosecurity framework
- Optical and radio astronomy
- Integrated marine observing system
- Structure and evolution of the Australian continent
- Platforms for collaboration
- Population health and clinical data linkage
- Terrestrial ecosystem research network
Universities, publicly funded research organisations, independent research institutes, state government bodies and business are participating in the funded projects.