SA government adds $10 million to biotech facility
Monday, 27 November 2006
The South Australian Government has today announced $10 million in funding for the proposed Plant Accelerator at the University of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ's Waite Campus.
This brings the total of Federal and State Government funding for the National Plant Phenomics Facility to $25 million.
The national facility, which consists of the Plant Accelerator in ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ and the High Resolution Plant Phenomics Centre in Canberra, will be the first of its kind in the public sector anywhere in the world.
The collaborative facility will be led by the University of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ and involves research partners at and the (ANU), as well as industry groups and Federal and South Australian government departments.
The South Australian Minister for Science and Information Economy, , has announced $10 million towards the establishment of the Plant Accelerator in ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ.
This follows by the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, , of $15 million in funding for the national facility.
The Plant Accelerator will consist of a series of hi-tech greenhouses and laboratories that can accommodate 160,000 plants a year. It will use robotic techniques to take 3D images of plants, recording their size, colour and temperature, and provide an insight into overall plant health.
"The State Government funding, in addition to the Federal funding, is welcome support for the work we are doing," says , Federation Fellow with the University of ÐÂÀ˲ÊƱ's .
"The new facilities will be world class in every respect and will help in national efforts to provide a competitive edge for Australia's $27 billion annual agriculture export industry