A network of six complementary transmission electron microscope facilities will be funded through the Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) Projects scheme for 2012 announced yesterday.
The electron microscopy network was among six University of Queensland-administered projects awarded LIEF funding valued at $1.99 million.
Collaborating institutions will contribute a further $5.8 million.
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Max Lu congratulated UQ researchers and their collaborating partners on their success in the LIEF scheme.
UQ was equal third in the number of projects awarded nationally, and received the fourth highest amount in the 2012 round.
“LIEF grants aim to facilitate infrastructure partnerships with other research organisations,” Professor Lu said.
“These grants reflect our strong research partnerships around Australia and will make a huge difference to research projects at UQ in years to come.”
Professor Jin Zou of UQ’s Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis and colleagues will lead the electron microscopy project, which received $440,000 LIEF funding.
“The establishment of the transmission electron microscope facilities will help develop advanced electron microscopy capacity in Australia,” Professor Zou said.
“It will also support materials systems research in fields including electronics, optoelectronics, light metals, biomaterials, energy and the environment.”
Collaborating institutions on this project include Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney.
Other successful LIEF projects to be administered by UQ, and the UQ lead investigators are:
• $270,000 to Professor David Carter of the UQ School of English, Media Studies and Art History and colleagues at collaborating institutions for a project entitled: Humanities in the digital age: Infrastructure for Australian literary studies, publishing studies, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies.
The project will support AustLit, a comprehensive digital resource providing quality, searchable information for researchers, teachers, students and the general public in Australian literature and print culture.
New funding will support enhanced content creation and research capacity and the transition of AustLit to an open access platform.
• $380,000 to a project led by Professor Philip Hugenholtz of UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences establishing a facility to enable high throughput screening and sequencing for single cell genomics.
The LIEF funding complements Australian Research Council Discovery Projects 2012 funding of $870,000 to Professor Hugenholtz for a study towards providing a complete view of life on earth via single cell genomics.
This project includes targeted sequencing of single cells from the environment.
Professor Hugenholtz was also awarded one of only 26 Discovery Outstanding Researcher Awards (DORA) made nationally.
• $237,000 to Professor Jennifer Martin of UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience and collaborating institutions for a project to establish a Queensland facility for membrane protein production and crystallisation. This membrane protein production facility will address significant challenges in the production and analysis of membrane proteins which will enable a better understanding of how they function and provide a platform for the design of new and better drugs.
• $290,000 to a project led by Professor Mark Ragan of UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience and collaborating partners, to provide a high-performance computational environment to accelerate the discovery of quality bioactive compounds for fighting infectious diseases.
• $370,000 to a project led by Professor Anh Nguyen of UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering and partners, for a facility to advance scientific understanding of 3D and nano-structures of coal under various mechanical and chemical conditions. The facility will help develop process innovation and breakthrough technologies for energy and environmental applications.
UQ is also a partner on eight LIEF projects led by other universities.
Media: Jan King 0413 601 248 and Fiona Cameron, 07 3346 7086, 0407 113 342, UQ Communications.
