Research capability to be boosted by improved collaboration

The Minister for Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop has announced six initiatives that will support greater collaboration between researchers, both domestically and internationally.

The Australian government has allocated $15 million under the "Systemic Infrastructure Initiative' for six highly collaborative proposals as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthen innovation and improve research outcomes.

The proposals will provide Australian scientists with access to research infrastructure that will enhance Australia's research capabilities and will:

• deliver improvements in access to distributed information, data resources, and research facilities;
• develop and implement innovative models of collecting, analysing and linking research results;
• fill gaps in the tools and resources available to researchers.

Research involves the capture and processing of vast quantities of complex data, in many cases beyond the means of individual researchers to manage and analyse in isolation. Frequently, researchers must work collaboratively across time and distance using diverse sources of data to reach new breakthroughs in understanding.

Bishop said the initiatives will provide Australian researchers with an information infrastructure enabling both national and international research collaboration.

"Underpinning Australian research with these technologies will lead to many new research endeavours and secure our research effectiveness into the future," Bishop said.

"And beyond this, greater access to Australian research output has the potential to significantly increase knowledge transfer to educators, business, and the general community."