Oct 14 2008
The Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) is to be officially opened by Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. This significant event in Australia’s nanotechnology calendar will take place on Friday 17th October in Canberra at the Shine Dome and will be a momentous day for Australia’s researchers in the field of nano and microfabrication.
Founded in 2007 under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, the ANFF links seven complementary university-based nodes to provide researchers with access to state-of-the-art fabrication facilities. Whilst ANFF is headquarterd in Victoria, the seven nodes are located across Australia in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the ACT at a total of seventeen different sites. A unique aspect of the facility is that it draws on existing infrastructure and expertise, while concurrently implementing a coordinated program of upgrading these and also establishing completely new facilities, such as the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication. This will be built in Clayton adjacent to the Australian Synchrotron and is scheduled for completion late in 2009.
Each node offers expertise in a specific range of areas to meet researchers’ diverse fabrication needs, ranging from sensors and integrated systems to optoelectronic devices and advanced nano materials, providing smart solutions for everything from pharmaceuticals to mining. Applications include devices as diverse as drug delivery systems, semiconductor lasers, new transistors and bio-inspired nanomaterials. These innovations will transform the way we live today.
The establishment of the ANFF will make high end research tools available to students and researchers at other universities, but also provides access to publicly funded research projects and industry. In doing so the ANFF is making a concerted effort to encourage the development of nanotechnology in Australia.
Australia is seen as one of a number of leading developers of nanotechnology. To maintain this position it is important for these new technologies to make their way from industrial and university laboratories into the commercial arena. Through the establishment of the ANFF, researchers and developers of new technologies can easily access instrumentation and expertise that they may not otherwise have access to, to aid in the timely development and commercialisation of their technology.
The establishment of this new national facility will ensure maximum collaboration and cooperation by researchers and universities around Australia and lead to an exciting new era in nanofabrication in Australia.
For more information listen to the podcast interview with Rosie Hicks, CEO of the Australian National Fabrication Facility.