The new Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication will position Australia at the forefront of this rapidly emerging field.
Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation and Industry, Richard Marles, opened the world class research centre today â which includes the largest purpose-built, clean room complex in the Southern Hemisphere.
âNanotechnology is a genuinely exciting scientific field and the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication is a state-of-the-art facility,â Mr Marles said.
âNanotechnology has the potential to lead to life altering developments in fields as diverse as telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and medicine.
âThis $63 million facility will position Australia at the cutting edge of R&D and in a prime position to become a world leader in commercial nanotechnology.
âIt is a joint effort with the Australian and Victorian Governments and a consortium comprising Monash, Swinburne, Deakin and La Trobe universities, RMIT, CSIRO and MiniFab Australia Pty Ltd all contributing funds.
âThe centre will be open to researchers â from Australia and overseas â and to industry.
âThe clean room will allow scientists to work with materials at the microscopic level to produce the next generation of technology.
âThe Gillard Government is investing over $900 million in high quality research infrastructure like this centre through the Super Science Initiative.
âThese facilities are highly collaborative in nature, enabling excellent research and the translation of research outcomes into national benefit.â