Innovation opportunities with NSW eResearch Institute

The NSW government is investing $2.8 million over three years to help develop a world-class e-research institute to support innovation, Minister for Science and Medical Research Jodi McKay said.

The Institute for Transdisciplinary eResearch Services and Technology (INTERSECT) is a new peak body to coordinate expertise in e-research across NSW universities and relevant public and private sector research agencies.

“Advanced ICT technologies and the spread of broadband internet provide excellent opportunities for electronic research (e-research) applications that can cut across geographical boundaries,” McKay said.

"For example, a medical specialist located in Sydney could have the potential to perform surgery on a patient in an isolated regional area using advanced computer technologies." McKay said INTERSECT has been established by a consortium of NSW universities, the Securities Industry Research Centre of Asia–Pacific (SIRCA) and the NSW government to promote e-research technologies and skills.

“Dr Ian Gibson, one of Australia's leading private sector research and development experts and a former divisional general manager with Canon's Sydney-based R&D facility CiSRA, is the newly appointed CEO of INTERSECT,” McKay said.

"NSW already has hubs of capability in e-research but INTERSECT will provide coordinated leadership that can pull these together and drive e-research expertise in NSW.

"E-research is the way of the future, and the NSW government wants to ensure we can be a world leader in this space.” McKay said the INTERSECT collaboration will support the storage, sharing and analysis of data in a range of research areas including climate change modelling, disease research, minerals exploration, and online education.