Phenomenal funding for cutting-edge research

victoria-university-of-wellington

Fri Jul 20 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Phenomenal funding for cutting-edge research

Friday, 20 July 2007, 4:15 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

20 July 2007

Victoria University has won more than $5.5 million in contracts from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology as part of NZ$628 million in contracts announced this week.

The four winning projects, in the areas of global warming, tectonic science, nano-technology and nuclear magnetic resonance technology, were selected in a rigorous process seeking cutting-edge research that will help New Zealand develop its economy, manage its resources sustainably and respond to climate change.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Neil Quigley says the funding success demonstrates the Government’s confidence in the University’s ability to deliver innovative, world-leading technologies that will underpin the establishment of new industries in New Zealand.

Professor Quigley say the decision by the Foundation to award more than $18 million to research linked to the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology is a poignant move that will further New Zealand’s leadership in nanotechnology and the production of new super-materials.

The MacDiarmid Institute, directed by Victoria’s Professor Paul Callaghan, is one of seven Government-funded National Centres of Research Excellence Based at Victoria. The Institute partners with researchers at Victoria, Canterbury, Otago and Massey universities and at two crown research institutes, Industrial Research Limited (IRL) and GNS Science.

Sophie Dalziel, portfolio manager in the University’s Research Office, says the funding success shows that Victoria researchers can work with industry as well as conduct pure research. She says the funding also opens more opportunity to postgraduate students, as funding will be set aside for scholarships.

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The four Victoria contracts awarded are:
Quantum Dot-Fibre Composites – $962,500 over three years: Led by Professor Jim Johnston in the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, this research will develop new composite nano-materials made up of quantum dots (semi-conductor nano-crystals) and wool and paper fibres to create innovative and high-value fabrics, textiles and fashions and smart papers for the security packaging and labeling sectors.
Products to be developed include materials that exhibit or change their printed colour images in response to optical or electronic stimulation. The technology will add value to New Zealand’s wool and paper industries and help shift them from a commodity to a value-added base.

Magnetic Resonance Technologies – $1,875,000 over four years: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a transformational technology that has revolutionised chemistry, molecular biology and modern medicine. This project aims to facilitate the growth of a new industry sector by building on the success of Magritek – an award-winning spin-out company based in the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology that has established itself as an innovator in the field of portable, low field NMR technology.

Project leader Professor Paul Callaghan says New Zealand is well placed to build a cluster of businesses in the magnetic resonance sector. The funding will be used to develop prototypes of innovative technologies such as a specialised Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine for small animal veterinary use and human limb imaging. Several ground-breaking aspects of NMR technology will be established before product development begins, including the customisation of High Temperature Superconductor magnets so that they are able to be switched on and off.

Antarctica-New Zealand Interglacial Extreme Climates (ANZICE) – $1,500,000 over four years: Led by Professor Lionel Carter in the University’s Antarctic Research Centre, ANZICE aims to develop new observational and numerical models that identify past and future effects of global warming on the Antarctica-Southern Ocean-New Zealand region.

This aim aligns with national research priorities, and internationally, ANZICE links with research priorities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations Environmental Programme. The research will help New Zealand’s plans to mitigate and adapt to effects of projected warming by improving the national capability for prediction.

Tectonic Framework – $1,245,000 over four years: Led by Professor Tim Stern in the School of Geography Environment and Earth Sciences, this research explores the plate tectonic processes affecting the New Zealand continent. The funding will further researchers’ efforts to: explore and measure the crust and mantle framework of New Zealand; model and understand tectonic processes that construct this framework, and assess and anticipate change on human and geological time scales.

The team has a long record of crystal structure research in the central North Island that will underpin exploration for new resources of geothermal energy including the emerging “hot-dry rock process”. While the work does not directly explore for oil or gas, the analysis and research on the geological history, structure and dynamics of basins such as the Great South Basin forms a framework that underpins more detailed industry exploration.

ENDS

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