| Posted: April 22, 2008 |
Monash University plans $45m nanofabrication center |
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(Nanowerk News) Monash has signed an agreement with the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) which will see a $45 million purpose-built facility known as the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN) developed next to the Clayton campus.
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The MCN is the Victorian node of the national network which aims to boost Australia's presence in the rapidly growing nano and bio-nanotechnological markets.
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Monash University is the lead agency for the project, which is a collaborative initiative between state and federal governments, the CSIRO and several other Victorian universities.
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Located close to the Australian Synchrotron and the CSIRO, the MCN will be one of Australia's flagship nanotech facilities.
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Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Edwina Cornish said the MCN would help create a research and innovation precinct adjacent to the Clayton campus.
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"The effectiveness of the collaboration is a testament to the commitment and capabilities of all the parties involved and provides us with a fantastic opportunity to enhance our already strong capability in nanofabrication," Professor Cornish said.
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"It will cement Victoria's position as a centre of excellence in nanotechnology."
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The centre is unique in that it will offer a wide range of services for the development and manufacture of prototypes and products from a broad discipline base. These include:
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New bio-compatible materials for smarter medical implants;
New water-recycling technologies to improve the re-use of urban water;
Rapid and disposable diagnostics tests to improve the detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks; and
New energy storage and generation technologies to enable breakthroughs such as roof tiles as cheap solar cells.
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The facility will be open to national and international research and industry users who will be able to collaborate with other scientific disciplines and institutions such as Monash. The goal is to maximise cross-disciplinary interaction on a national basis.
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It will also act as a training ground for the next generation of researchers wanting to study advanced micro/nano manufacturing.
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As part of the project, Monash and other MCN participant partners CSIRO, Deakin University, La Trobe University, Swinburne University, the University of Melbourne and RMIT University have agreed to make their own key nano-related facilities available to researchers.
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The MCN will be developed at the corner of Blackburn and Wellington Road and is expected to be operational by the end of 2009.
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Facilities at participant institutions will be made available over the coming months.
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