Premier's fund supports wind tunnel, visual technologies

Funding Success

Two University of Adelaide projects - a world-class wind tunnel and a laboratory for the production and analysis of visual digital media - together won almost two-thirds of this year's Premier's Science and Research Fund (PSRF) grant.

The School of Mechanical Engineering has been awarded $800,000 under the Fund. This will secure the matching resources needed to build a large-scale wind tunnel that will support South Australia's defence, aerospace, wind turbine (power-generating) and wind engineering sectors.

The wind tunnel - to be used for technology development and commercial testing and located at the Adelaide University Research Park (Thebarton Campus) - will have some unique capabilities within the Southern Hemisphere.

"This facility will provide local industry and researchers with a competitive edge," said Professor Gus Nathan, who led the School's PSRF bid.

"It will support local bids for major contracts in defence and naval projects, micro wind turbines and building design."

Other team members are Head of School Professor Colin Hansen, Associate Professor Richard Kelso, Dr Con Doolan, Dr Bassam Dally and Dr Maziar Arjomandi.

A project led by the University of Adelaide's Dr Anton van den Hengel, from the School of Computer Science, has been awarded $750,000 for a Visual Technologies Laboratory, which will boost technology and workforce development in digital content-based industries.

"The laboratory will provide the infrastructure, focus and leadership in research needed to establish South Australia as the focal point of Australian visual technologies industries," said Dr van den Hengel, who is the Director of the Australian Centre for Visual Technologies.

"The work of this laboratory will have valuable application for a variety of industries including defence, film and television, computer games, video surveillance, mobile content and ICT."

Industry and research partners are the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Tenix Group and Rising Sun Pictures Pty Ltd.

"Congratulations to these two research teams," said the University of Adelaide's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor James McWha.

"Both of these projects will bring significant benefits for local and national industry and for the State economy - further examples of the University of Adelaide working alongside government and industry for the benefit of the wider community."

In announcing the fund allocations, Minister for Science and Information Economy Paul Caica said: "The government welcomes the opportunity to support projects that stimulate business investment in local R&D and aim to deliver strategic benefits for all South Australians."

Story by Robyn Mills