Big CRC win for Uni Tasmania

There’s $329m to fund blue sky research about blue water

The University of Tasmania will host the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre, “bringing together expertise in seafood, renewable energy and offshore engineering.”

U Tas VC Rufus Back calls the centre “blue sky thinking” (presumably blue water as well), “to answer one of our planet’s most critical questions: how can we sustainably feed and power ourselves from the world’s oceans.”

The centre was announced yesterday, the second new CRC in two days, presumably possible because Industry, Science and Technology minister Karen Andrews signed-off before caretaker conventions kicked-in. Ms Andrews certainly spoke at the University of South Australia’s satellite CRC announcement Monday and at yesterday’s event.

The Blue Economy centre will have $70m from the Federal Government, plus $259m in cash and kind from 37 partners in Australia and six other countries. Local universities involved include Griffith U, Uni Queensland, UWA and Macquarie U.

This is a huge win for Uni Tas, especially its Launceston campus, where the CRC will be based. It follows Monday’s announcement that a Labor Government will fund new infrastructure at the university’s Launceston-located Australian Maritime College.

 


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