Federal Govt to provide $36 million to establish new ICT CRCs

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Richard Alston, welcomed the Government's announcement that $36 million will be provided to establish two new Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) in information and communications technologies (ICT).

"This demonstrates the Government's commitment to ICT - a sector which is becoming more and more important to our economy and our way of life," Senator Alston said.

"Australia's CRCs have an excellent track record - Australian Photonics, for example, coordinates more than 90 per cent of Australia's research and development in optical fibre and photonic technology."

Several successful spin-off companies have emerged from Australian Photonics, including Indx Pty Ltd, which now operates as Uniphase Fibre Components and is growing rapidly to meet global demand for its products.

Redfern Photonics was established in 1999 as the commercial incubator company for Australian Photonics, which is in turn the technology transfer company and manager of the Australian Photonics CRC.

The Redfern Photonics group develops, manufactures and distributes a range of components and systems for the photonics telecommunications market.

"The Government's new $36 million investment in a CRC for Smart Internet Technology, and a CRC for Technology Enabled Capital Markets, is a welcome complement to the excellent work already being undertaken by these Australian CRCs," Senator Alston said.

Item provided courtesy of Industry Search