Stupendo! Engineering a deal Italian style

11 November 2003

The University of New South Wales' Faculty of Engineering and Italy's Campania region have signed an agreement to promote collaborative research projects and staff and student exchanges.

A Memorandum of Understanding was finalised at a ceremony at the University on Monday. Officiating were Professor Brendon Parker, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, on behalf of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), and Professor Luigi Nicolais, Regional Minister for University and Scientific Research Technological Innovation and New Economy, Campania Region.

Professor Nicolais has agreed to provide funding of €4,500 (AUD 7,230) each for two doctoral researchers from UNSW to visit Campania Region Research Centres for three months to engage in collaborative research with the University of Naples.

In turn, the Faculty of Engineering will provide funding of €4,500 (AUD 7,230) for one doctoral researcher from Italy to visit UNSW for three months to engage in collaborative research on Health Telematics with the Biomedical Systems Laboratory of its Centre for Health Informatics.

Attending the reception were Dr Nicola Sasanelli, Scientific Attachee at the Italian Embassy, Canberra, and leading UNSW academics, including Professor Branko Celler, Director, Centre for Health Informatics and Head of the School of Electrical Engineering.

Professor Celler is also president of a newly formed NSW Chapter of ARIA, the Associazione per la Ricerca tra Italia e Australasia which promotes research between Italy and Australia.

Though the first collaborative project is in Health Telematics, the agreement allows for research projects and exchanges in the nine other schools in the Faculty of Engineering. Jointly promoting the development of 'green chemistry' is one of the goals.

"We actively sought closer ties with Italy, where I believe our researchers have a wonderful opportunity to widen the pool of ideas," says Professor Parker. "We aim to engage in joint publications of scientific papers, support the development of educational resources and promote joint conferences and workshops."