Page 495 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 21 February 2012
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expertise across our universities and the hospital system. The e-health living lab is an exciting concept to develop and test bed technologies and training systems for the next generation of clinicians.
In addition, NICTA is developing advanced technology to make transport systems more efficient, with the potential to save millions of dollars in direct costs and also reduce carbon emissions. Our interest is to see this exciting new developing technology applied to local transport issues for the benefit of the Canberra community.
Another key focus of NICTA is e-government. NICTA’s work with the e-government technology cluster and its research in the field of software systems can help government understand and take advantage of a range of emerging opportunities to deliver new and better online services to residents in the ACT—and, of course, the opportunity to commercialise these developments and sell to the rest of Australia and the world.
MR HARGREAVES: Supplementary.
MR SPEAKER: Yes, Mr Hargreaves.
MR HARGREAVES: Minister, can you inform the Assembly how this funding aligns with the government’s other priorities, please?
MR BARR: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. The ACT government regards NICTA as a key partner in our desire to establish Canberra as a centre for world-class ICT research, commercialisation, business development and usage. Integral to the government’s vision are the research capabilities of our universities, the business acumen of our locally grown and ACT-based multinational ICT firms, and the buy-in of our national and local government agencies.
Although all of the ACT government’s funds will be used to support research activities at NICTA’s Canberra research laboratory, a portion will be directed to projects of specific interest to ACT government agencies, some of which I mentioned in my earlier answer. This is consistent with the ACT government’s strategic plan for ICT 2011-15. This plan notes that ICT should be supported by a level of targeted research and development investments to help directorates realise the potential of ICT.
NICTA’s Canberra research laboratory is one of the highest performing laboratories in the group, and over the past 10 years has made significant contributions to the ACT in five key areas: economic development, research, skills, collaboration and engagement.
In summary, NICTA has attracted $90 million in Australian government funding to the territory between 2003 and 2011. The Canberra laboratory leads the world in a number of disciplines and has been actively involved in about half of NICTA’s many national research projects. It continues to develop an ICT skills base in the ACT by employing 50 researchers and 55 PhD students. It collaborates with multinational and local companies and government agencies, it engages on many levels and in many
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