Chapter 4 – Academic and research focus

Cooperative Research Centres

This information is current as at January 2008.

Australasian Cooperative Research Centre for Interaction Design

The Australasian Cooperative Research Centre for Interaction Design (ACID) is the leader in collaborative solutions for distributed communities: finding better ways for people to work, collaborate and create together.

ACID's trans-disciplinary design method brings together over 120 university and industry researchers in Australia and New Zealand — developers, creatives, ethnographers, computer scientists and interaction designers address specific research questions posed by partners and clients.

ACID's academic research, design consultancy expertise and living laboratories give its clients and partners a unique advantage in meeting their users' needs.

UTS and ACID are collaborating on several projects to research adaptive media, generative content, self-organising media systems, intelligent organisation of rich media data and evaluated experience design.

Inquiries

email info@acid.net.au

Contacts

Professor Ernest Edmonds
telephone +61 2 9514 4640
fax +61 2 9514 4492
email Ernest.Edmonds@uts.edu.au

Associate Professor Yusuf Pisan
telephone +61 2 9514 4478
fax +61 2 9514 4535
email Yusuf.Pisan@uts.edu.au
http://www.acid.net.au

Capital Markets Cooperative Research Centre

The Capital Markets CRC (CMCRC) was established in 2001 to directly assist the development of Australia's capital markets. Now in its second round of funding (2007–2014), the Centre is focused on Australian and international capital markets by designing and deploying technology and services nationally and internationally to identify and minimise the economic impact on capital markets of money launderers, market manipulators, insider traders and terrorists. These parties trade across markets to take advantage of information asymmetry between markets run by different market operators.

The social and economic consequence of the activities of money launderers, market manipulators and terrorists, if they are permitted to go unchecked, will result in a significant ongoing diminution of the wealth of Australian investors. Approximately 54 per cent of all Australian superannuation assets (circa $905 billion growing at $60 billion per annum) are invested in capital markets with 30 per cent of those assets invested in overseas markets. By 2010, 15 per cent of Australia's population, being superannuants, will be heavily dependent upon capital market returns for their livelihood. A further $396 billion (APRA Quarterly Superannuation Employment Statistics (March 2006)) is held by Australians in securities markets directly.

Crucial to successful deployment of the technology and sustaining financial market innovation is the CMCRC's continued focus on human–capital development programs. With an industry-focused PhD program placing students with Australian and international partners, the CMCRC will build capability around the operation of the technology being developed by CMCRC for industry partners.

Inquiries

Professor Donald J Stokes
telephone +61 2 9514 3743
fax +61 2 9514 3669
email Donald.Stokes@uts.edu.au
http://www.cmcrc.com

Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment

The CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) was established in 2005 as a joint venture with 25 partners. The university partners are UTS, the University of South Australia, the University of Queensland, Southern Cross University and Curtin University of Technology. Industry partners include government departments, environmental protection authorities, mining companies, petroleum companies, venture capitalists, engineering consultancies and equipment manufacturers.

Australia has a legacy of contaminated land with hundreds of thousands of sites in need of remediation. Many of these sites have high-value commercial and residential potential. Contaminated land is a liability, but remediated land is an asset. However, remediation can be very expensive.

CRC CARE aims to develop cost-effective technologies and skills, faster site characterisation, improved risk assessment and quantification of liability, with a strong focus on creating new wealth, new jobs and new business. CRC CARE combines industry needs, research capability and regulatory framework development.

CRC CARE's research programs are in the areas of:

In addition, a number of national demonstration sites will be established to tie in all research program activities.

The UTS contribution involves groundwater management staff from the Faculty of Engineering, with participation by specialists from the Institute for Water and Environmental Resource Management and the faculties of Engineering and Science.

Inquiries

Professor Ravi Naidu
Managing Director, CRC CARE Pty Ltd
PO Box 169
Port Adelaide SA 5015
telephone +61 8 8302 5038
fax +61 8 8302 3124
email admin@crccare.com

UTS contacts

Associate Professor Noel Merrick
Faculty of Engineering
email Noel.Merrick@uts.edu.au
http://www.crccare.com

Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality and Treatment

UTS, through its Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF) and Institute for Water and Environmental Management (IWERM), is a participating organisation in the CRC for Water Quality and Treatment (CRCWQT). The ISF recently completed a Guidebook (Research Report 35) for CRCWQT, 'Costing for Sustainable Outcomes in Urban Water Systems'.

The CRCWQT is an unincorporated joint venture between 29 participants, representing government, industry and research organisations. The Centre was established in July 2001 under the Australian Government Cooperative Research Centres program and will wind up its operations at the end of June 2008. It will be replaced by Water Quality Research Australia, which is industry owned, and will continue to research urban water issues. The legal entity, Water Quality Research Australia Limited (WQRA Limited), came into existence under Australian corporations law in October 2007 as a not-for-profit scientific research institution. The primary aims of WQRA are to build on the achievements of the existing CRC to:

The main focus of the research program will be on urban water issues related to public health and acceptability aspects of water supply, water recycling and aspects of wastewater management. WQRA will also continue a Regional and Rural Water Supplies program aimed at improving water quality and public health in rural areas. It will also develop an Education and Training program, utilising the most successful elements of the CRC program. Chris Davis, from the ISF, serves as a board member.

Inquiries

George Turelli
Business Manager, Australian Water Quality Centre
Private Mail Bag 3
Salisbury SA 5108
telephone +61 8 8259 0274
fax +61 8 8259 0228
email george.turelli@sawater.com.au

UTS contact

Chris Davis
CB10.11, City campus
telephone +61 2 9514 4957
fax +61 2 9514 4941
email Chris.Davis@uts.edu.au
http://www.waterquality.crc.org.au
http://www.waterquality.org.au

Cotton Catchment Communities Cooperative Research Centre

The Cotton Catchment Communities CRC brings together many universities, government research and management organisations and industry partners in a collaborative environment working on research, education and commercialisation activities for the benefit of the Australian cotton industry, regional communities and Australia.

Goals for the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC include improved economic performance beyond the $1.2 billion that the cotton industry is currently worth and maintaining sustainable use of natural resources for regional communities.

UTS has two research groups undertaking projects for the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC. Groundwater management staff, through the Faculty of Engineering, are providing baseline groundwater assessments of all New South Wales and Queensland catchments where cotton is grown, and are developing coupled surface water and groundwater flow models to improve the ability to estimate aquifer sustainability. The Institute for Water and Environmental Resource Management is undertaking research to benchmark water quality health.

Inquiries

Associate Professor Noel Merrick
Faculty of Engineering
email Noel.Merrick@uts.edu.au
http://cotton.pi.csiro.au

Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre

UTS is a partner in the national Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC). Launched in 1997, and awarded a new seven-year term in 2003, STCRC involves 16 universities in six states and two territories and a similar number of tourism industry partners. The industry partners in New South Wales are the Tourism and Transport Forum, Department of Environment, Conservation and Climate Change (Parks and Wildlife Division) and Tourism NSW.

The mission of the STCRC is the development and management of intellectual property to deliver innovation to business, community and government, enhancing the environmental, economic and social sustainability of tourism.

UTS has been involved in the following STCRC research projects:

The STCRC has funded or co-funded PhD scholarships involving:

Inquiries

Associate Professor Simon Darcy
Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre
KG04.6.2, Kuring-gai campus
telephone +61 2 9514 5100
fax +61 2 9514 5195
email Simon.Darcy@uts.edu.au
http://www.crctourism.com.au

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