The Federal Government has announced a new $249 million Industrial Transformation Research program and cadetship package.

The  package, to be administered by the Australian Research Council, includes:

  • More than 1,000 engineering cadetships over the next four years so students can get the work experience they need to kick-start their careers in manufacturing and other Australian industries.
  • New research training centres that will provide quality industrial doctoral and postdoctoral training for up to 600 PhD students each year.
  • New research hubs bringing researchers and industry representatives together to design and engineer commercially and technically viable solutions to some of our most pressing industrial problems.

Industrial Transformation Research Hubs will bring managers, researchers and industry workers together to solve major problems facing industry.  Up to 20 research hubs will be established nationwide with initial funding for up to four years.  The Government will invest up to $1 million per year in each hub with this investment being matched by industry partners.

The Minister for Innovation, Senator Kim Carr, has announced the fourth and final tranche of the Innovation Investment Fund (IIF), Round Three, which will allocate up to $100 million in venture capital for early stage investments.

A $140 million advanced manufacturing teaching and research facility has been launched at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne will be a major boost to Australia's manufacturing and materials industry.

Changes to the Commercialisation Australia scheme have come into effect which will mean that businesses developing new products, processes or services will not have to repay Early Stage Commercialisation grants. Further,  the annual turnover limit for applicants has been lifted from $20 million to $50 million.

Australia and New Zealand have signed a new agreement on marine observation and research which will formalise existing work between the two countries and increase understanding of the climate systems that affect the region.

Professor Margaret Sheil, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Research Council, will be the next Provost of the University of Melbourne.

The Victorian Government has launched the 2013 round of the Victorian International Research Scholarships for top-performing international scholars to complete their PhD at one of nine Victorian universities.

The University of Western Australia has entered an agreement with six regional councils to form the WA Regional Cities Alliance to research major regional issues including population distribution, infrastructure and services, and employment.

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has held its annual awards ceremony in Canberra, recognising the country’s leading health and medical researchers.

The Federal Government has announced $10 million in grants to support 23 inventions through the Commercialisation Australia program.

The Federal Government has announced the allocation $26.2 million in mental health research, announced in the 2011/12 Budget.

The Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC has released a synopsis of the latest scientific findings of the changes of the salinity, temperature, acidity and circulation of the Southern Ocean.

The Australian Government’s Pacific Climate Change Science Program (PCCSP) has released the most comprehensive research data on the impacts of climate change on the Pacific to date.

A new fellowship has been announced by the  National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in recognition of the Australian Nobel Laureate Professor Elizabeth Blackburn.

The University of Western Australia has launched a new geochemical facility that includes two new multi-collector plasma mass spectrometers, the first of their kind in WA, which together provide unrivalled capabilities and innovative research opportunities across a wide spectrum of fields for WA scientists.

The University of Queensland is leading a new training project in advanced microscopy dubbed MyScope, which involves a consortia of six major Australian universities and the Australian Microscopy and Microanalysis Research Facility.

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) will launch a new postgraduate degree that helps researchers and research managers unlock the commercial potential of their work in mid-2012.

A new SKA Organisation has been formed by partners in Australia, New Zealand, China, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and South Africa to govern the Square Kilometre Array telescope and make the host site selection early in 2012.

A world class innovation to shield Defence ships and aircraft from radar surveillance has earned  Australian scientist, Dr Cheng Anderson, the 2011 Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science.

Scientia Professor Michelle Simmons, Professor of Physics at the University of New South Wales, who leads the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, has been named the 2011 NSW Scientist of the Year for pioneering the development of quantum computers. She was also the Category Winner for Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy.

Victoria University has released its new Strategic Plan, setting itself the goal of becoming one of the top 20 universities in Australia for research, with an emphasis on applied and translational research.

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