An $8.5 million science deal between ANSTO’s Bragg Institute and the National Science Council (NSC) of Taiwan, was signed today in Taipei, allowing Australian researchers to further expand their scientific capabilities.
This is the first major scientific deal to be struck between institutes from Australia and Taiwan, and covers the installation and operation of an extra neutron beam research instrument in OPAL, ANSTO’s replacement research reactor, currently under construction.
According to Dr Ian Smith, ANSTO Executive Director, the unique instrument is called a coldneutron 3-axis spectrometer, designed to analyse the basic interactions of different types of material at the atomic and molecular levels.
“This instrument is extremely important, as it will complement and enhance ANSTO’s total scientific capacity and the complex materials research we will be carrying out,” said Dr Smith.
“The Taiwan investment also adds particular value to the area of high-technology electronic materials science where Taiwan is strong and we can reap the benefits.
“Of further importance, the deal promises to attract high-calibre scientists from around the globe who would not otherwise visit Australia to work,” he said.
Taiwanese scientists will be guaranteed access to the Bragg Institute’s facilities equivalent to 70 per cent use of the instrument. The remaining time will be used by the Australian and international research community.
The instrument will take around four years to build, and the agreement lasts for five years from the instrument’s commissioning, renewable for five year periods after that.
“We are told that ANSTO was chosen from a group of leading international facilities by the Taiwanese due to the impressive progress of the OPAL reactor and the reputation of ANSTO’s Neutron Beam Instruments Project being run by the Bragg Institute, so we are very proud of this achievement,” concluded Dr Smith.
The new OPAL reactor and associated neutron beam instruments will be opened in January 2007.
Published: 08/06/2005