The 2024 ANU Research Infrastructure Expo on 27 November brought together university staff, researchers, students, government and industry partners to explore the latest research facilities and capabilities at The Australian National University.

The Expo demonstrated the University’s landscape of research infrastructure and its role as a hub of innovation, collaboration, and research excellence. Showcasing a wide range of state-of-the-art research infrastructure at ANU from physical facilities and equipment to cross-disciplinary research services, datasets, software, and expertise, the Expo offered access to discovering advanced research support with diverse applications, fostering connections, and providing solutions for government and industry partners.

The Expo featured a livestream from the Japan Trench by ANZIC Director, Associate Professor Ron Hackney, who was on board the specialised deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu to investigate the causes of earthquakes and tsunami and gave a virtual tour as the vessel gathers samples from deep below the seafloor. Other hands-on demonstrations were also presented at the Expo, including robotics, VR experience, handheld spectrometers, microscope, and interactive data visualisations.

As its second year held at ANU, the Expo this year gained increased exposure and engagement, with 50 exhibitors and more than 230 visitors participating. This year, the Expo saw expanded engagement of HASS (humanities, arts and social sciences) infrastructure, showcasing contributions from Archaeology and Natural History Research Laboratories (ANH Labs), Australian Data Archive (ADA), Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (Pambu), and Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC). 

The Expo also highlighted national research facilities that are supported by Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), including AuScope, Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS), Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN), Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), Bioplatforms Australia (BPA), Heavy Ion Accelerators (HIA), Microscopy Australia (MAU), National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), Phenomics Australia (PA), and Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN).

“We are here for visibility,” said Sarah Davidson, program manager of the Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR). “The Expo provides us with a platform to meet more people and facilitate collaboration opportunities.”

“We are happy to present our bioinformatic analysis capabilities at the Expo and connect with the wider research community,” said Cameron Jack, manager of the ANU Bioinformatics Consultancy (ABC).

ANU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Initiative and Infrastructure) Professor Ute Roessner AM FAA said she was pleased to see the success of the Expo this year.

“The Research Infrastructure Expo showcased the transformational research facilities and capabilities we host at ANU and facilitated cross-disciplinary collaboration to tackle some of the most pressing global issues,” she said.

“We look forward to further promoting availability and accessibility of our resources and empowering our researchers with the tools and networks they need to innovate.” 

List of exhibitors at the 2024 ANU Research Infrastructure Expo:

Advanced Imaging

• Centre for Advanced Microscopy (CAM)
• National Laboratory for X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (CTLab)

Engineering & Technology

• Distributed Energy Resources Lab (DERlab)
• Robotics @ ANU

Humanities, Social Sciences & Management

• Archaeology and Natural History Research Laboratories (ANH Labs)
• Australian Data Archive (ADA)
• Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB)
• Pacific Manuscripts Bureau (Pambu)
• Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC)

Life Sciences & Medicine

• ANU Bioinformatics Consultancy (ABC)
• ANU Centre for Therapeutic Discovery (ACTD)
• Archaeology and Natural History Research Laboratories (ANH Labs)
• Australasian Pollen and Spore Atlas (APSA)
• Australian Mountain Research Facility (AMRF)
• Australian Phenome Bank (APB)
• Australian Phenomics Facility (APF)
• Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN)
• Biological Research Computing Cluster
• Biomolecular Resource Facility (BRF)
• Canberra Clinical Phenomics Service (CCPS)
• Clinical Hub for Interventional Research (CHOIR)
• Cytometry, Histology and Spatial Multiomics (CHASM) Facility
• Ecogenomics and Bioinformatics Lab (EBL) & Australian Biodiversity Discovery Facility (ABDF)
• Genome Targeting Facility (GTF)
• Joint Mass Spectrometry Facility (JMSF)
• Phenomics Australia

Physical Sciences

• Advanced Instrumentation and Technology Centre (AITC)
• Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) and Siding Spring Observatory Telescopes
• ANU SPEC-E laboratory
• Australian & New Zealand International Scientific Drilling Consortium (ANZIC)
• Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF)
• Australian Seismometers in Schools (AUSIS) Network
• Biopolymer and Polymer Facility (BPF)
• Fenner School of Environment and Society Labs
• Geoscientific Adjoint Optimisation Platform (G-ADOPT)
• Heavy Ion Accelerators (HIA)
• Joint Mass Spectrometry Facility (JMSF)
• Laser and Spectrophotometer Facility
• Marine & Climate Facility
• Radiocarbon Facility
• SHRIMP Ion Microprobe Facility

eResearch & Research Underpinning Capabilities

• ANU Collections
• ACCESS-NRI, Australia’s climate simulator
• Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)
• National Computational Infrastructure (NCI)
• Scholarly Information Services (SIS)
• Statistical Support Network (SSN)

ANU Research Service Units & Campus Sites

• ANU Enterprise
• ANU Satellite Sites: Kioloa Coastal Campus, Siding Spring Observatory, North Australian Research Unit
• Research Systems, Research and Information Services, DVCRI Portfolio