Southern Cross University’s research reputation has been given a boost after it secured $960,000 in grants over three years from the Australian Research Council (ARC) funding program, for a range of projects.

Minister for the North Coast Don Page said securing the funding was a great achievement by Southern Cross University.

“This achievement by Southern Cross University underlines its value in generating knowledge, and the NSW Government is determined to work with our research community and industry to harness the value from this research,” Mr Page said.

“Research and scientific advancement play a crucial role in supporting the NSW economy, strengthening our competitiveness, productivity and innovative capacity.”

Mr Page said key Southern Cross University projects funded in this round include:

- studying the impact of major re-flooding on freshwater wetlands
- a new-generation mass spectrometer to help Australia lead the way in cutting-edge geo-science research
- a high-precision, automated system for studying greenhouse gas measurements in coastal environments.

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner said that in 2011-12, the NSW Government will give a $10 million grant to the NSW Science Leveraging Fund to support the State’s research organisations when they bid for Commonwealth funding.

“The NSW Government is increasing the competitiveness of bids made by NSW’s research consortia to Commonwealth research funding programs through our $10m Science Leveraging Fund and the work of NSW Government’s Chief Scientist Mary O’Kane – and the ARC funding for Southern Cross University is a reflection of that effort,” Mr Stoner said.

“This is a great result for NSW, and particularly for the NSW scientific research community and their industry partners, and will assist in building the State’s research and development capabilities.

“The NSW Government supports research and development in fields as diverse as biotechnology, information and communications technology, education, quantum computing, nanotechnology, capital markets, photonics, robotics, energy, clean technology and environmental science.

“The NSW Government promotes the State’s world-class universities and research institutes to encourage national and international collaborations and attract increased investment to NSW.

“The ARC announcement is another positive step forward on the road to strengthening the State’s reputation as a world-class centre for research and development and scientific achievement.”

For more information on the Australian Research Council’s funding programs visit the website www.arc.gov.au.