Construction of an AU$45 million Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, which will focus on Antarctic and climate change research, has begun in Hobart.
The Antarctic sector has been identified as a government priority, and Brian Green, Tasmania’s acting premier, said the centre would house about 40 per cent of the country’s marine scientists. He also hoped the institute would attract foreign research.
“The Tasmanian Government has a strong collaborative relationship with the University of Tasmania. We will be working together to maximize the educational and economic opportunities created by this project,” he said in a statement on 16 January.
The project has been funded by the Australian government’s Education Investment Fund, which favours projects that boost innovation capacity and international competitiveness for research and education.
Construction of the centre is scheduled for completion by summer 2013.