NICTA, the largest organisation in Australia dedicated to ICT research, has won an additional grant of $42 million for the financial year 2015-16, augmenting its research capabilities.
Minister Assisting for the Digital Economy, Senator Kate Lundy, announced the additional funding during a visit to NICTA’s headquarters in Sydney earlier this month.
“NICTA is a world-class information and communication technology research and commercialisation facility. It connects research excellence to practical real life challenges faced by industry, government and society, driving efficiency and productivity growth,” said Lundy.
The head of the research centre, CEO Hugh Durrant-Whyte, hailed the additional funding.
“NICTA welcomes today’s announcement. As Australia’s largest Centre of Excellence for information and communications technology, NICTA is uniquely placed to undertake large-scale, world-class research and development projects that make a real difference to Australia’s economy,” he said in a statement.
“NICTA uses advanced information technologies to support existing industries like health, resources and services, and also to create new technology-based industries. We are proud of the progress we have made so far at NICTA and look forward to the future advances this new funding will support.”
Established in 2002, NICTA develops technologies that generate economic, social and environmental benefits for Australia. It collaborates with industry on joint projects, incubates and builds startups besides encouraging new talent to the ICT sector through a PhD program. It operates five laboratories around Australia with over 580 researchers, technical and professional staff, 260 PhD students working across 30 research projects, training and commercialisation activities, and partnerships with 22 universities.
NICTA is funded by the Australian government through the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, and the Australian Research Council through the ICT Centre of Excellence Program. It also receives funding support from the Australian Capital Territory, the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian Governments, the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology and Monash University.
