UWA receives funding to test world’s most precise clock

The world’s most precise clock, developed at The University of Western Australia, will be subject to testing in space as a result of federal funding.

UWA secured more funding than any other Australian university in the latest Australian Research Council funding round.

The Federal Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr, has announced that $4.4 million will be invested in 10 UWA projects under a federal scheme to support infrastructure, equipment and facilities for high-quality, large-scale research projects - almost 15% of the total national funding pool.

This also means that the university will receive more than $18 million to support these projects from collaborating organisations, including national and international universities, industry and government organisations. UWA is also involved in another nine projects administered by other universities around the nation.

Among the UWA projects is the work being undertaken by Winthrop Professor Michael Tobar, WA scientist of the year, and his colleagues on the world’s most precise timepiece, which is testing the very fundamentals that underpin physics.

The $1.2m project will provide a unique opportunity for Australian membership of a high-profile space mission involving atomic clocks on board the International Space Station and in the world’s best frequency and time laboratories.

Overall, UWA secured funding for 10 of the 12 Western Australian projects under the Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities scheme, including research into a new detector to remove radio interference from the Parkes radio telescope and new laser technology that will be applied to a diverse range of research areas including the next generation of medical implants.

UWA Vice-Chancellor Professor Alan Robson said the funding support reflected the high value placed on collaborative research at The University of Western Australia.

“By working in partnership with government and industry, we can ensure that our research has direct benefits for the community,” Professor Robson said. “This funding is recognition by the ARC of the key role played by UWA researchers in leading global research.”