NICTA welcomes $185.5m in new Federal Government funding

NICTA, Australia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence, welcomes last night’s Federal Budget announcement which secures its funding for a further four years beyond its existing funding agreement which goes to mid-2011.

Last night, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy, the Hon. Stephen Conroy, and the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the Hon. Kim Carr, announced additional funding of $185.5 million over the four years from mid-2011 to mid-2015, confirming NICTA’s funding for the next six years.

"This funding strengthens the future of ICT innovation in Australia and supports NICTA’s ability to build ICT knowledge and wealth for the nation," said NICTA’s CEO, Dr David Skellern.

"It provides core funding which will allow NICTA to continue major existing research and education programs with certainty, as well as pursue new project and partner initiatives. We can now move with confidence to strengthen our linkages with public and private sector organisations to build innovation into the bottom line of Australia’s digital economy."

"The new funding provides a more certain future for Australia’s ICT companies to work with NICTA on research projects and intellectual property licensing," he said.

"As NICTA has developed an international reputation for world-class research, this new funding will also help us attract and retain people of the highest calibre," Dr Skellern continued.

Read more about NICTA’s new funding in the Federal Government’s media release at http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/036.

Document(s): NICTA welcomes $185.5m in new Federal Government funding
Contact: Dorothy Kennedy
Phone: +61 2 9376 2098 or +61 488 229 687
Email: dorothy.kennedy@nicta.com.au