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Media Release
Operating funding for the Australian Synchrotron
The Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop
MP, today announced $50 million in Australian Government funding to
contribute to the operating costs of the Australian Synchrotron –– a move
that will play a critical role in establishing the Australian Synchrotron as
a world class science facility.
The Australian Synchrotron is a major new facility, which is being
readied for use by researchers in July. It will help keep Australia at the
forefront of world class research. Funding for the facility, in conjunction
with investments in the new OPAL research reactor, the Australian Square
Kilometre Array Pathfinder, and a substantial number of Australian medical
research facilities also announced in the 2007-08 Budget, further
demonstrate the Australian Government’s commitment to supporting
state-of-the-art research infrastructure.
"This measure will provide enormous benefits to Australian scientists in
the public and private sectors," Minister Bishop said.
"The research performed at the Australian Synchrotron will benefit the
broader Australian community, providing substantial economic, social and
environmental returns."
Synchrotrons are large instruments that utilise fast travelling electrons
to create extremely bright light which is used to probe the nature and
behaviour of materials. For example, synchrotrons allowed Australian
scientists to probe the characteristics of the influenza virus and provided
insights that led to the development of a new anti-flu treatment.
The Australian Government’s funding for the Australian Synchrotron builds
on its earlier announcement to provide $14 million through the National
Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy towards the cost of
construction of the beamlines used to perform experiments.
CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation have
also each contributed $5 million for beamline development.
The $50 million is the Australian Government’s contribution toward
sustaining the operation of the Australian Synchrotron during the first five
years of its life while it establishes its credentials as a world class
facility.
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Media Contacts |
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| Minister Bishop’s Office: |
Tory Vidler |
0414 228 727 |
| Dept of Education, Science & Training: |
Virginia Cook |
0412 971 323 |
| Non-media queries: |
1300 363 079 |
Supporting Information
Why is this important?
The Australian Synchrotron is a major new facility which for the
first time will allow Australian scientists to conduct leading edge
research using a synchrotron without needing to travel overseas. The
Australian Synchrotron will have nine beamlines which will enable a
broad range of research to be undertaken in the life, physical and
chemical sciences. The facility is currently undergoing commissioning
tests ahead of an expected July 2007 opening for general research
activities.
The Australian Synchrotron has been built in Melbourne with funding
from state, Commonwealth and New Zealand governments and the Australian
research community. This measure provides the Australian Government’s
contribution towards the cost of running the facility for the first five
years of operation.
Who will benefit?
Synchrotrons are large instruments that utilise fast travelling
electrons to create extremely bright light which is used to probe the
nature and behaviour of materials. Synchrotrons are achieving
breakthroughs in fields as diverse as biotechnology, medical research,
environmental sciences and nanotechnology.
This measure will provide enormous benefits for Australian
scientists in the public and private sectors. It is estimated that the
Australian Synchrotron will be able to meet over
90 per cent of our scientists’ synchrotron needs. It will also
facilitate international research collaborations.
The benefits arising from these research and development activities
will extend to the Australian community more broadly, yielding social,
environmental and economic returns.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Australian Government is providing a one-off payment of $50
million as its contribution to the operating expenses of the Australian
Synchrotron over its first five years of operation.
This contribution builds on the Government’s decision in late 2006
to provide $14 million through the National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) towards capital costs associated with
beamline construction. CSIRO and the Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation (ANSTO) have also each committed $5 million for
beamline development.
The Government has also committed $4 million to the Australian
Synchrotron Research Programme (ASRP) to continue to enable scientists
to use overseas facilities where their needs cannot be met by the
Australian Synchrotron.
This measure complements the significant additional investment that
the government is also making to a large number of Australian medical
research facilities in this year’s budget.
What have we done in the past?
Most scientifically advanced countries have a synchrotron. In the
past the Government has provided funding through the ASRP to enable
scientists to utilise overseas facilities because there was no
synchrotron in Australia. Once the Australian Synchrotron’s initial
beamlines are commissioned, the new facility will meet the synchrotron
needs of over
90 per cent of the Australian scientific and industrial research
community.
When will the initiative conclude?
The one-off payment will provide around half of the operating costs
of the facility through to 2011-12.
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