The Canberra operations of NICTA, Australia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Research Centre of Excellence, has moved into its new premise, which is set to become the hub of innovative ICT activity in the Australian Capital Territory.
Australian Capital Territory Chief Minister Mr Jon Stanhope officially opened NICTA’s new facilities today, which will bring together NICTA’s three offices in Canberra, housing the current 164 staff and students and providing expansion to 220.
The NICTA Laboratory is located within the new 6800 m2, A-grade, 4-star environmentally-friendly building on London Circuit, adjacent to The Australian National University (ANU).
The $60 million commercial development by developer Leighton Properties will be used as a base to help grow and develop ICT research in Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
“NICTA’s new laboratory in West Civic is an important piece of the West City knowledge precinct that is forming around ANU Exchange,” NICTA Chairman Mr Neville Stevens AO said.
“With the completion of the new research facility on London Circuit, the Canberra and ACT community have an iconic global landmark which will reflect the true innovation of Canberra’s world-class ICT research,” he said.
“NICTA’s researchers are already producing new knowledge and techniques and are putting their imagination to work with local small and medium businesses on significant technology break-throughs which will benefit the Canberra community and the nation.”
A series of 10 paintings gifted by local artist Nicola Sasanelli AM will adorn the walls of NICTA’s new Canberra Research Laboratory. Adj Prof Sasanelli is the Scientific and Technology Attaché at the Italian Embassy in Canberra.
The series of paintings are a tribute to scientists who have changed the world, such as Pythagoras, Leonardo Da Vinci, Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein.
“I am very happy to see my paintings hanging in NICTA’s new Laboratory,” Adj Prof Sasanelli said. “This project was born from a personal passion for abstract art I have nurtured over the years and from the desire to stimulate more aggressive marketing policies for scientific and technological research.”
Laboratory Director for the Canberra Research Laboratory Dr David Everitt is thrilled the paintings will be housed at NICTA’s new Canberra facility. “Nicola’s paintings are vibrant and depict a real passion for the revolutionary work undertaken by these scientists, I am sure they will be a real inspiration to the outstanding researchers working at this Lab,” Dr Everitt said.
NICTA’s imaginative and ground-breaking research is placing Australia at the forefront of global ICT research and its researchers are developing technologies that meet the current and future needs of society. At the opening today, NICTA demonstrated its work to VIPs in areas such as Intelligent Transport Systems, medical imaging and statistical machine learning.
The ACT government, in addition to The Australian National University, the NSW Government and the University of NSW, is a foundation member of NICTA and has played an integral part in building NICTA into a world-class ICT research institute.
Document(s): 
NICTA realising vision for Canberra's ICT knowledge precinct with opening of new Laboratory (pdf, 26KB)
Contact: Kelly Mills
Phone: +61 2 8374 5489
Email: kelly.mills@nicta.com.au