Katrina Hodgkinson MP Minister for Primary Industries Minister for Small Business

MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 2 May, 2013

PARTNERSHIP STRENGTHENS NSW BIOSECURITY NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson has welcomed a new partnership between the NSW Government and the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) to strengthen the State’s capacity to identify and respond to biosecurity threats. A new Memorandum of Understanding between UTS and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) paves the way for scientists to use world-leading next-generation molecular technologies for the benefit of the agriculture, horticulture, livestock and equine industries. “The MOU allows DPI and UTS to collaborate on diagnostic testing, vaccine development, disease detection and alternatives to antibiotics which will help to safeguard the State’s $12 billion primary industries sector,” Ms Hodgkinson said. “The partnership also allows us to better share biosecurity infrastructure, including Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute (EMAI) – the DPI’s $57 million Centre for Biosecurity in Sydney’s south-west – and UTS’s sophisticated diagnostic and research facilities. “Combining UTS’s academic expertise with DPI’s links to industry, broad research and biosecurity expertise, we are well placed to enhance Australia’s world-leading, biosecure reputation.” Through its ithree institute, UTS has considerable research strength in the area of infectious diseases of both humans and animals. It is has invested in world leading imaging facilities alongside state-of-the-art genomic and proteomic facilities. UTS is the world’s first commercial site for the next generation DeltaVision OMX Blaze super resolution imaging system – a device capable of capturing real-time multiple colour images of interactions between microorganisms and living cells. Its installation in the Microbial Imaging Facility (MIF) of UTS's ithree Institute has been made possible by a $400,000 joint investment with NSW Trade & Investment's Office for Science and Research Collectively, this key infrastructure allows scientists to rapidly sequence the genetic make-up of infectious agents, as well as more rapidly and accurately identify emerging threats and develop surveillance and control strategies. Director of the UTS ithree institute, Professor Ian Charles, said that the alliance with DPI embodied the university’s commitment to collaborative research. “UTS prides itself on its vision of combining innovation, creativity and technology in a way that impacts the community and the world around us,” Professor Charles said. “The ithree institute is building a reputation for excellence in infectious disease research and this alliance with DPI underlines our belief in the importance of multi-disciplinary and multiinstitutional research collaborations,” Professor Charles said. MEDIA: (Minister Hodgkinson) Fiona Dewar 0407 152 873 (UTS) Michelle Callen 02 9514 7952