Double win for Townsville tropical expertise

Two new multi-million dollar initiatives announced today will further boost Townsville’s growing global reputation as a hub for tropical and marine science.

Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle this morning turned the first sod on the site of the $34 million Australian Tropical Science and Innovation Precinct (ATSIP) on the campus of James Cook University (JCU).

The Minister then opened the new Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) Centre for Marine Microbiology and Genetics Research, a facility built to tackle the biggest issues in the tiny world of marine microbes.

“ATSIP will be a leader in all aspects of the tropics and it will export its expertise to the world,” Ms Boyle said.

“It’s a joint project of the Queensland Government, JCU and the CSIRO, and it will encourage even greater collaboration between the three partners.

“That in turn will help open up commercial opportunities and increase the likelihood of major discoveries being made.

“R&D conducted at ATSIP will be broad, from vegetation and ecosystem management, sustainable water management, the development of novel tropical crops, climate change-related health issues, biosecurity, ecotourism and aquaculture.”

Ms Boyle said the Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry supported the Precinct with $9 million Innovation Building Funds and $5 million Smart State Research Facilities Funds.

“The ATSIP project exploits north Queensland’s natural competitive advantage in tropical sciences and technologies,” the Minister said.

”It aligns with Premier Bligh’s Towards Q2 Tomorrow’s Queensland which highlights challenges including climate change, preventable disease and unhealthy lifestyles.”

JCU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Innovation, Professor Chris Cocklin, said that the timing of the project could not be better.

“Last month the Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, released The Cutler Review of the National Innovation System, which highlighted the importance of collaboration and identified tropical science as a national priority,” Professor Cocklin said.

Later in the morning Ms Boyle opened the Centre for Marine Microbiology and Genetics Research (CMMG) at the Cape Cleveland headquarters of Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Ms Boyle said the Government contributed $1.5 million towards the construction of the CMMG because it would significantly boost Australian research efforts in the area of marine microbes.

“These microscopic creatures may be invisible to most of us but they play a major part in the way our oceans work. There is a good chance they hold the key to understanding and fighting climate change but that’s something the CMMG will devote itself to finding out,” she said.

“AIMS is already a world leader in tropical marine science and the CMMG will continue that trend.”

Ms Boyle said the CMMG featured state-of-the-art microbiology/genetics laboratories with environment-controlled experimental aquaria and is the first facility of its type in the southern hemisphere.

According to Dr Ian Poiner, AIMS chief executive officer, the CMMG represented another step towards the development of a Queensland Tropical Innovation Hub.

“The CMMG is a good example of taking a collaborative approach to getting the best value for money from investment in tropical marine science,” Dr Poiner said.

“It is expected to draw leading scientists from around the world to carry out collaborative research on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, using the most sophisticated facilities available for work in this field.”

The CMMG research will particularly address the microbial symbiotic relationships that, for example, keep corals and coral reef ecosystems healthy, and those needed for developing a viable rock lobster aquaculture industry.

2 October 2008

Media contact: 3224 2007 or 3225 1005

Prof Chris Cocklin, JCU: contact via Jim O’Brien on 4781 4822 or 0418 892 449

Dr Ian Poiner, CEO of AIMS: 4753 4490 or 0419 702 652

Wendy Ellery, AIMS media liaison: 4753 4409