Partner/Collaborating Eligible Organisation(s)

Charles Sturt University, University of Canberra, The University of Sydney, University of Technology, Sydney, Macquarie University, University of Wollongong, University of Western Sydney, The University of Newcastle, The University of New England, Southern Cross University

Renewing Intersect's share of the National Computational Infrastructure's peak facility: The rapid and continuing growth of supercomputing capabilities presents major new opportunities for scientific and engineering research. This project aims to allow world-leading computational researchers across the Intersect consortium of 11 universities to take advantage of these opportunities by renewing their partner share access to the National Computational Infrastructure facilities, notably a new petaflop-capable supercomputer and associated expert support. This access will enable the consortium's researchers to tackle grand challenge research problems in a diverse range of fields of national priority including frontier technologies, the environment, and promoting good health.

2014 $1,000,000.00

Primary FoR 0605 MICROBIOLOGY

Macquarie University, University of Western Sydney, University of Technology, Sydney, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

A time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometer facility for elemental and isotopic imaging of ultra-fine features: Microbiology has long been an area of strength in Australian science. With recent technological advances microbiology has entered a new golden age unveiling an extraordinary level of diversity and the central role of microbes in global biogeochemistry. The 'omics' era is generating endless hypotheses regarding geochemical processes carried out by microbes and this necessitates the application of advanced technologies to generate empirical support. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry has emerged as a key tool to unravel elemental cycling carried out by microorganisms in mixed species communities in contexts ranging from terrestrial to marine ecology and from groundwater bioremediation to biogas production biotechnologies.

2014 $500,000.00

Primary FoR 0912 MATERIALS ENGINEERING

ACS-A Pty Ltd, CST Composites, The Australian National University, The University of Sydney, University of Western Sydney, The Flinders University of South Australia, Deakin University, University of Tasmania, The University of Auckland, Defence Science and Technology Organisation

A facility for the automated fabrication of high performance bespoke components: The project will create a new coordinated facility for composites research including modern automated infrastructure. The facility will bring Australia in line with leading international research centres and promote fundamental and applied research into a range of fields including underwater renewable energy systems, space vehicle structures, multifunctional and smart materials and infrastructure capacity extension. The facility will position Australian research for significant international collaboration through endorsement of next-generation manufacturing technology and enable leading outcomes for Australasian science and engineering in aerospace, marine, civil, automotive, renewable energy and primary resources.

2014 $400,000.00

Primary FoR 2101 ARCHAEOLOGY

University of California, Berkeley, The University of Chicago, The University of York, UK, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney, La Trobe University, The Flinders University of South Australia, Southern Cross University, Intersect Australia Ltd, Victorian Partnership for Advanced Computing, The Center for Digital Antiquity

Federated archaeological information management systems project: transforming archaeological research through digital technologies: This project will embed the federated archaeological information management systems infrastructure within six leading archaeology departments across Australia. It will develop and expand the mobile field recording system, the national data repository and a suite of online editing and visualisation tools to support archaeologists conducting research projects of national significance. By working closely with research projects and integrating the mobile platform and digital infrastructure within their workflow, this project will ensure that Australian archaeological research data is created in digital, structured, and reusable form, benefiting the preservation of Australian cultural heritage and promoting new research for decades to come.

2014 $150,000.00

Primary FoR 0204 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, University of Wollongong

Ultrafast time resolved optical spectroscopy for advanced multifunctional materials: Time resolved spectroscopy is among the hottest emerging fields in condensed matter physics and offers a new perspective into the complex physics of multifunctional materials like multiferroics or unconventional superconductors. At present, the underlying physics of these novel complex materials is not fully understood and new experimental approaches such as the proposed time-resolved optical spectroscopy are required. The deeper understanding of the involved phenomena would also allow for a systematic search for new, undiscovered multifunctional materials with similar but enhanced properties. This offers a huge potential for future industry in applications such as in novel sensors, information processing, and high efficiency photovoltaics.

2014 $475,000.00

Primary FoR 0604 GENETICS

The University of Newcastle, Macquarie University, University of Technology, Sydney

Expanding the genomic frontier from species to strains and individuals to populations: The Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis, a consortium of five universities, provides a large number of genomics and transcriptomics analyses. This project will establish an Ion Proton semiconductor-based sequencer and iScan platform to facilitate research breakthroughs in genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and SNP analysis. Cell screening technology will also be established to allow the rapid analysis of cells of interest, prior to genomic / transcriptomic analysis. The increased data output, and concomitant reduction in analysis cost on the new platforms, will expand the genomics frontier, allowing researchers to fully analyse many strains from a single-celled species or many individuals from a population.

2014 $151,962.00

Primary FoR 0201 ASTRONOMICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES

The University of Sydney, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Minerva: a dedicated exoplanet observatory: Low-mass planets are extremely common, but the ability to characterise them in detail is severely limited by the availability of telescope time. The Minerva project, led by Harvard, is a dedicated multi-telescope facility which will be able to intensely monitor nearby bright stars for the small radial-velocity "wobbles" due to orbiting terrestrial planets. This project will purchase a telescope for the Minerva array. This innovative facility will give Australian exoplanetary scientists a privileged position in this new research. The arrangement will give the Australian and US partners exclusive access to the observational data on the smallest planets orbiting the nearest stars.

2014 $230,000.00

Primary FoR 0607 PLANT BIOLOGY

Expansion and upgrade of the Newcastle plant growth facility: The project will upgrade and expand the Newcastle plant growth facility to ensure a continuous supply of high quality plant material required for competitively-funded research programs. This outcome will be achieved by replacing plant growth cabinets that have passed their built-in 15 year redundancy by many years, and the addition of specialist cabinets for Arabidopsis research housed in a renovated PC2 space. Together, the infrastructure additions will enhance the productivity and excellence of core areas of plant biology research in plant development and nutrient transport, which are both areas of research that will be critical to address issues of food security in the future.

2014 $500,000.00

Primary FoR 0206 QUANTUM PHYSICS

RMIT University, The University of Adelaide

National facility for cryogenic photonics: The project will establish a multi-disciplinary, multi-user facility for the development and analysis of photonic materials and devices at cryogenic temperatures, heralding a new paradigm in quantum optical research in Australia. The two nodes, one for photonic materials development and one for quantum device characterisation, will enable new physical phenomena to be discovered, new materials to be developed and will ultimately result in the creation of ground-breaking new photonic technologies. This collaborative facility will play a role in the quantum revolution, hailed as the next major step in societal evolution, providing breakthroughs in modern technology and placing Australia at the forefront of this field.

2014 $300,000.00

Primary FoR 0601 BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY

The University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, Centenary Institute of Cancer Medicine and Cell Biology

Cytometry by time-of-flight mass spectrometry platform for the Advanced Cytometry Facility: overcoming fluorescence spectral barriers to truly multiparametric cytometry by mass spectrometry: This project will provide a flow cytometer capable of analysing single cells by time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antibody labels for cell components will enable measurement of up to 100 parameters/cell. Developing analytical and modelling algorithms like Spanning tree Progression of Density normalised Events (SPADE), this project will aim to map the relationships of various unelucidated cell lineages, via functional pathway connections. New pathways thus revealed will enable elaboration and use of novel specific molecules in perturbational analyses to confirm and further enhance the understanding of these highly intricate, basic relationships. This will provide unparalleled insight, both into early development of stem cells and mechanisms of maintenance of homeostasis in differentiated cells.

2014 $240,000.00

Primary FoR 1005 COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES

The Australian National University, Monash University, Finisar Corporation

Universal optical transmitter for rapid prototyping and system emulation: This Project proposes an integrated, multi-user facility for the generation of extremely wide-bandwidth optical communication signals that will help to dramatically improve the data-handling capability of optical fibres and improve the energy efficiency of optical communication networks. The project will modulate the input of an advanced optical transmitter with multi-level, multi-phase signals at multi-Gb/s rates to generate 'higher-order' modulation formats at multi- terra bits per second rates including orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), Nyquist-wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM), regular WDM and Optical Time-Division Multiplexing (OTDM). With this transmitter the project will investigate advanced optical communications concepts including 'constellations' of phase and intensity, limitations of nonlinearity in optical fibres, signal regeneration, and all-optical routing.

2014 $284,000.00

Primary FoR 1801 LAW

The University of Melbourne, The University of New South Wales, The University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia, Bond University, University of Western Sydney, The University of Queensland, The Australian National University, Monash University

The International Law Library on the World Legal Information Institute: new content and facilities for the leading repository and citator for international law: The International Law Library on the AustLII-operated WorldLII system already provides the most comprehensive free-access location of international law research materials, attracting over two million annual page accesses. This project to transform the Library will expand all its content (international case law, treaties, other key resources and commentary); improve its distribution (for example, RSS feeds for new cases); automate updating processes; add extensive metadata to improve citation histories; and provide other metrics so users can recognise significant materials. Necessary processing, storage and scanning equipment will be acquired. All international law research will be improved, as will Australian leadership in research infrastructure.

2014 $1,064,000.00

Primary FoR 0299 OTHER PHYSICAL SCIENCES

Ingham Health Research Institute, Liverpool Hospital, Surgical Diagnostics Pty Ltd, The University of New England, The University of New South Wales, University of South Australia, The University of Sydney, The University of Western Australia

Ultra-high resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for physical applications: Ultra-high field magnetic resonance imaging provides unique high contrast images at previously inaccessible levels of resolution (<0.1mm). It non-invasively provides unprecedented information on chemical and biochemical processes including functional biological mechanisms. This infrastructure will be the focal point for more than 100 academics and HDR students. It will take Australia to the forefront of magnetic resonance imaging capability as well as providing unique insights into diffusion and electrophoretic problems central to designing next generation energy storage. Outcomes will range from agricultural advances, higher performing batteries, and more effective cancer treatments as well advancing Australia's fundamental scientific capabilities.

2014 $360,000.00

Primary FoR 0402 GEOCHEMISTRY

Southern Cross University, The Australian National University, University of Canberra, The University of New South Wales, Monash University, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Macquarie University

Innovative isotopic techniques to study the response of soil and water resources to modern and past climate change: The emergence of innovative isotopic tools has provided unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of the processes that shape the earth's resources and environment. The plasma-source mass spectrometer will be dedicated to applying these techniques to earth surface processes, and establishing unique capabilities to decipher how soil and water resources respond to modern and past climate change in Australia.

2014 $900,000.00

Primary FoR 0905 CIVIL ENGINEERING

Curtin University of Technology, Monash University, University of Technology, Sydney, Metro Trains Melbourne Pty Ltd, The University of Newcastle, The University of Western Australia, The University of Melbourne, University of Western Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, Queensland University of Technology, The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales

National facility for cyclic testing of high-speed rail: Frontier technologies in rail transport demand access to state-of-the-art testing facilities for track modelling. The proposed national Facility for Cyclic Testing of High-Speed Rail (FCTHSR) is internationally a first-of-its-kind and it will be designed and built in-house for examining an array of Australian ground conditions and integrated track components. This unique facility will offer a national and international hub for industry-driven research and consulting. The project outcomes will propel more Australian researchers to be among the world-leaders of rail technologies providing better solutions to challenging track environments. Prototype testing will ensure safer and cost-effective track designs.

2014 $370,000.00

Primary FoR 0601 BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY