22 May 2006

$249.5 million for world-class ICT centre

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan, and the Minister for Education, Science and Training , Julie Bishop MP, today announced the signing of a five-year $249.5 million funding agreement with National ICT Australia (NICTA).

“This substantial and continued funding for NICTA demonstrates the Government's long-term commitment to enhancing Australia 's information and communications technology innovation system and recognition of ICT's contribution to broader economic growth,” Senator Coonan said.

“Since it was established in 2002, NICTA has become a magnet for world class researchers, including many of Australia 's best and brightest researchers working overseas, and has enhanced Australia 's research training capacity through a competitive PhD program,” Minister Bishop said.

“NICTA's research program has practical applications in a broad range of industries, wealth creation and benefits for all Australians.”

Examples of NICTA's research include:

• The Smart Transport and Roads (STaR) project to develop new technologies for streamlining traffic flows, making roads operate more efficiently, providing more reliable travel times, fuel savings and reducing environmental harm.
• The Water Information Network (WIN) project to develop an ICT infrastructure of networked sensors and actuators that communicate over a wireless network to, first, provide irrigation water when and where it is needed on the farm and, second, manage irrigation on the scale of an entire water catchment.
• In collaboration with the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, developing an IT methodology for discerning biologically meaningful and medically useful knowledge from micro-array profiles of tissue, with a focus on cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“I expect to see NICTA increasingly interacting with industry and applying its research to benefit all Australians,” Senator Coonan said.

In the 10-year period to 30 June 2011 , the Australian Government will provide $380 million to NICTA as part of its $8.3 billion commitment to innovation — Backing Australia's Ability.