Partner/Collaborating Eligible Organisation(s)

The University of New South Wales, The University of Queensland, University of Wollongong, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

In-situ elevated temperature nano-indentation: Nano-indentation has revolutionised the characterisation of the mechanical properties of materials. It permits the elastic, plastic and cracking response to be probed at the nano-scale. This project will provide a state-of-the-art Hysitron nano-indenter configured to permit isothermal elevated temperature operation (up to 650 degrees Celsius). The unit will be the only one in Australia with this capability and amongst the few available globally. Temperature is the single most important parameter in material processing. This facility will permit the assembled team to be among the first in the world to apply this technique to the development of new materials with superior processing performance in addition to enhanced behaviour in service.

2014 $280,000.00

Primary FoR 0910 MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

The Australian National University, The University of Queensland, The University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong, Research and Development Centre of Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Corporation, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Flexible forming facility for low-cost light-weight applications: This project will establish Australia’s first flexible roll forming facility. The facility will be unique in the world, being specifically designed to roll form the most advanced high strength alloys into complex three-dimensional shapes and investigate their material behaviour under a wide range of loading conditions. This technology represents a step change in commercial processing and has the capacity to form materials with high strength and limited ductility. This will lead to the development of new techniques for the manufacture of new advanced materials including advanced high strength steels, composites, nano structured metals and light metal alloys for automotive and aerospace applications.

2014 $154,000.00

Primary FoR 1111 NUTRITION AND DIETETICS

The University of Newcastle, The University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, National Cancer Institute

Online dietary assessment for research: the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall System for Australia: This project brings together key researchers nationally in the field of nutrition and dietetics to develop a standardised, high quality, online system to assess food intake among adults across a variety of research settings and study designs. The proposed infrastructure is an Australian version of the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall (ASA24) in collaboration with the United States National Cancer Institute. The infrastructure is internationally renowned and will underpin research that builds the evidence-base for policies and programs in the field of nutrition and dietetics.

2014 $560,000.00

Primary FoR 0604 GENETICS

The University of Melbourne, The University of Newcastle

High throughput cell genomics centre: This project will establish a high throughput cell genomics centre comprising a Fluidigm C1™ Single-Cell AutoPrep and BioMark™ HD system providing researchers with the most innovative approach to single cell and small population analyses. The instruments will enable the unique capability to conduct single cell transcriptome analysis and high throughput gene expression, SNP genotyping and copy number variation analysis as well as validation of next generation sequencing data. The information generated is crucial to advancing knowledge in important research fields including infection and immunity, regenerative medicine, immune responses, biomarker discovery, drug discovery, biotechnology and agriculture.

2014 $300,000.00

Primary FoR 0915 INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING

Victoria University, Deakin University

Micro/nanofluidic characterisation facility: Microfluidics promises to enable diagnosis of medical diseases using devices which perform laboratory experiments but on a scale which means the entire system can be hand-held. Whilst the fabrication of miniaturised fluidic channels is well established, the challenge is to bring additional functions onto the chip reducing the reliance on external pumps and electronics. This facility will allow the characterisation of technologies which address on-chip sample preparation using pulsed ultrasonic waves, filtration and pumping using nanofluidic structures, and detection using on-chip circuitry. As such the facility will have the capability to directly address the challenges which must be met to allow diagnosis in rural underprivileged areas.

2014 $500,000.00

Primary FoR 0912 MATERIALS ENGINEERING

Monash University, The University of Melbourne, The University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Adelaide

Collaborative facility for high resolution fabrication, imaging, and characterisation of nanostructured materials: The development of the next generation of electronic, optical, and biomedical devices requires methods that can quickly manipulate and characterise matter at the nanoscale. This project will establish new tools that will allow researchers to build novel device structures and analyse them at nanoscale spatial resolutions. The new facilities are required to meet the demands of a growing number of innovative projects being undertaken within a large multidisciplinary consortium of research groups. The facilities will be housed in state-of-the art laboratories and managed as open access resources for researchers which will enable advances in the areas of energy harvesting, environmental monitoring, and electronics.

2014 $300,000.00

Primary FoR 0204 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS

Monash University, RMIT University, The University of New South Wales, The University of Melbourne

Ultrafast science facility: manipulating and probing matter on femtosecond timescales with microscopic resolution: Knowledge of dynamics that occur on femtosecond timescales is essential for a detailed understanding of many important processes in physics, chemistry and biology. This facility will enable unprecedented insight into the mechanisms driving such processes through complementary capabilities to manipulate and probe matter on femtosecond time scales at microscopic resolution. Such processes include photosynthetic energy transfer, efficient operation of organic electronics, redox reactions in biological systems and the manipulation of material properties by intense femtosecond-laser pulses. The unique capabilities of this facility will also allow the development of novel device structures and the limits of the characterisation techniques to be pushed.

2014 $650,000.00

Primary FoR 1107 IMMUNOLOGY

Monash University, Deakin University, Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research

An advanced in vivo imaging facility: This project will establish an advanced In Vivo Imaging Facility (IVIF) for examining host-microbe interactions and associated immunological processes within the context of the numerous infectious disease models within the University of Melbourne and associated collaborators. The Zeiss LSM 7MP 2-photon imaging system will provide enhanced capacity to directly visualise cellular and molecular events in real time, with greater sensitivity and in a broader range of tissues and organs. This will provide the opportunity for novel insights into numerous immunological and host-microbe interactions.

2014 $400,000.00

Primary FoR 0905 CIVIL ENGINEERING

The University of Sydney, Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University, The University of Western Australia, Victoria University, Queensland University of Technology, University of Wollongong

State-of-the-art facility for non-destructive testing of concrete infrastructure: There are many recent examples around the world where ageing concrete infrastructure has led to catastrophic failures with loss of life and severe damage to infrastructure. Non destructive testing (NDT) gives a reliable method to provide an accurate assessment of the condition of a structure. However NDT requires an understanding of the various methods available, and their capabilities and limitations, through systematic research projects. Very little research has been done in Australia and overseas in this area due to lack of facilities. This state-of-the-art testing equipment will provide Australian institutions with a cutting edge facility with portable equipment for NDT related research.

2014 $200,000.00

Primary FoR 0915 INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGINEERING

Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Newcastle, The University of Adelaide

A thermally stratified sea ice wave interaction facility: Predictions of climate change now impact all levels of society as future political, social and environmental plans are made on the basis of these models. Predictions require models of many complex dynamical processes with a wide range of parameters. An important process is the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) dynamics. The MIZ is the region between the open ocean and the fully ice-covered ocean where waves and ice interact, causing ice-breaking and wave attenuation. This unique facility will enable experiments in sea-ice-wave interactions in a controlled environment. Water and air temperature, thermal stratification, water waveform and ice properties will be adjusted in order to preserve key characteristics of the complex ocean environment.

2014 $410,000.00

Primary FoR 0303 MACROMOLECULAR AND MATERIALS CHEMISTRY

University of South Australia, The University of Queensland, Monash University

Advanced macromolecular materials characterisation facility: The facility will allow precise characterisation of (bio)macromolecular materials, from chemical structures and composition as a function of size or biodistribution, to film thickness in multi-layer materials, to material hydrophobicity and permeability. Novel information derived from these state-of-the-art instruments is highly valuable in understanding structure-property relationships, which are crucial for the development of the next generation of advanced materials with applications in electronics, optics, sensors, membranes, nanocoatings, biomaterials and polymer therapeutics. This facility underpins the efforts of the participating institutes in increasing the quality and quantity of research outcomes.

2014 $280,000.00

Primary FoR 0304 MEDICINAL AND BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY

Monash University, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Biomembrane interactions facility: Characterisation of membrane interactions is important for further advances in biomedical science and drug design. The biomembrane interactions facility will provide modern infrastructure to study membrane biophysics and membrane protein structure and interactions in mammalian, protozoan and bacterial cells. The facility will include a solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer and optical analytical instrumentation and biosensor equipment. These will enable determination of molecular structure and dynamics within biomembranes and determination of the rates and mechanisms of cell membrane processes; nanoscale measurement of cell membrane properties; and resolution of the interactions between membrane components in cells.

2014 $160,000.00

Primary FoR 0703 CROP AND PASTURE PRODUCTION

Victorian Department of Primary Industries

Agro-ecosystem sensor capability for elevated carbon dioxide-free air research facility: This project will provide infrastructure upgrades to the Australian Grains Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment (AGFACE) facility, globally the only FACE facility in low rainfall, non-irrigated agri-ecosystems. Low rainfall, non-irrigated agriculture systems play a very significant role in global crop production and are predicted to be negatively affected by climate changes. The requested infrastructure will enable direct, plot scale measurements of crop water balance and water status, including crucial influence factors such as root growth and architecture and crop canopy temperatures, and allow manipulation experiments to develop adaptation options to improve crop resource use efficiencies.

2014 $580,000.00

Primary FoR 1007 NANOTECHNOLOGY

The University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Next generation small angle X-ray scattering facility: The ability to determine the nanostructure of bulk materials is of utmost importance in an array of cutting-edge research fields. A state-of-the-art small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) facility will address this for a wide range of materials covering a diverse range of research topics such as energy storage materials, catalytic species, drug delivery systems, protein structures, biological membranes, medical diagnostics and therapy, magnetic nanosystems, polymers, novel technologies for the clean utilisation of biomass, and minerals processing. The facility will underpin a range of current and planned multidisciplinary research programs leading to vital nanostructural information and innovative research solutions.

2014 $700,000.00

Primary FoR 0402 GEOCHEMISTRY

The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Geological Survey of Western Australia

A digital mineralogy and materials characterisation hub for petrology, mineralogy, exploration, metallurgy and reservoir characterisation research: This project will establish a digital mineralogy and materials characterisation hub for applications in petrology, geometallurgy, reservoir characterisation, environmental science, soil science, mineral processing and extractive metallurgy research. An automated mineral analysis instrument would complement the mineral separation (selFrag HV pulse fragmentation) and microanalytical facilities (SHRIMP/Cameca ion microprobes and ELA-ICP-MS) available to the participants via the John de Laeter Centre for Isotope Research. The instrument and software package making up the FEI QEMSCAN 650F model is the most advanced configuration on the market, and ideally suited for the high level research projects undertaken by the partner institutions.

2014 $720,000.00

Primary FoR 0205 OPTICAL PHYSICS

The Australian National University, The University of Adelaide, The University of Melbourne, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Hannover) (Albert Einstein Institute)

Equipment for international collaboration in gravitational wave detection: This project will allow the Australian Consortium for Gravitational Astronomy to install optical equipment at its dedicated research facility, and to install data analysis pipelines on new iVEC Pawsey Centre GPU-enabled supercomputers. The equipment is required for research aimed at stabilising instabilities in the new international gravitational wave detectors currently being commissioned in the USA and Europe. Real time data from the new detectors will be analysed using innovative new techniques. Scientists across Australia will be able to rapidly localise potential gravitational wave sources to direct robotic telescope observations. This could enable the first detection of gravitational waves.

2014 $180,000.00

Primary FoR 0601 BIOCHEMISTRY AND CELL BIOLOGY

Curtin University of Technology

Biomolecular interaction facility: A biomolecular interaction facility located in Perth is essential to support the research performed by a growing community of key protein researchers. The infrastructure provided by this integrated facility will act as a hub for analysis of samples produced by high-throughput protein production methods and will provide high-level training with cutting-edge equipment for researchers at all levels. It will underpin faster and better fundamental and translational research in the areas of structural biology, biotechnology, biomedical science, plant science and nanotechnology, supporting the activities of researchers and their collaborators in Australia and worldwide.

2014 $400,000.00

Primary FoR 0604 GENETICS

Edith Cowan University

Zebrafish facility: The zebrafish as a model vertebrate organism is fast approaching the importance of the laboratory mouse. This facility will enable the research community to fully embrace the zebrafish as a powerful research tool.

2014 $771,000.00

Primary FoR 0306 PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY (INCL. STRUCTURAL)

Murdoch University, Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Western Australian Museum