Author: Andrew See

ANFF Nodes in NSW Receive multi-million-dollar funding boost from The Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer

The NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer of NSW (OCSE) has announced a  $15 Million Funding Boost for NSW Research , via its NCRIS Support Program,  including a major funding share for the NSW Consortium of ANFF Nodes

The ANFF consortium submission, led by Dr Matt Boreland at ANFF-NSW@UNSW,  secured $3.2M from the program making it the single biggest project award in this round (2023 NCRIS NSW Recipients ).  Moreover, a large portion of the $3.2M award to ANFF will be used as co-funding for the Federal NCRIS2023 program which will release an additional $2.9M of Federal ANFFL funds and $1.42M institutional co-funding.  Overall, the total effective impact of this award will amount to approximately $7.5M of investment into the NSW Consortium of ANFF Nodes involving six partner universities (UNSW, USYD, UoW, UoN, UTS, MQU)

At our node, ANFF-NSW will receive $1.63M across the Node partners at UNSW ($765k), USYD ($703k) and UTS ($156k), which is similarly expected to release an additional $3M of Federal ANFFL funding and Institutional co-funding via the NCIRS2023 program.  This injection of essential new funding will enable ANFF-NSW to continue its mission to drive greater innovation and collaborative R&D in Australia via the provision of open-access world-class fabrication facilities, training, and expertise focused on micro and nano fabrication.

Additional information available on the National ANFF website: ANFF NSW Facility Hubs Receive $3.2M Funding Boost – Australian National Fabrication Facility Limited

ANFF-NSW at UNSW have signed a $1.2 million user agreement with a new international partner

ANFF Director, Prof François Ladouceur and Technical Director Dr Matthew Boreland have signed a $1.2 million user agreement with a brand new international partner. Under this two year agreement, Falcon-Photon Co. Ltd., will be using the ANFF foundry services to develop photonics interconnects. Both parties see this agreement as a stepping stone that will yield dividends over the coming years and will cement Sydney position as a world class photonics innovation hotspot.

Dr. Bin Wang (CEO. Falcon-Photon) and Prof François Ladouceur (Director, ANFF NSW) during the signature ceremony. Also present (from left to right) Dr Matthew Boreland (ANFF NSW, Technical Director), Prof Jinhong Yuan (HoS, UNSW), Prof Grainne Moran (PVC Infrastructure, UNSW), Prof Julien Epps (Engineering Dean, UNSW) and three employees of Falcon-Photon: Mr Zhenyu Zhao, Dr Yuan Wei, and Dr Jianfu Wang.

Diraq funding success and new commercial lab – Andrew Dzurak and team

Diraq has successfully completed a Series A-2 capital funding round, securing USD $15 million. This milestone achievement is led by Prof. Andrew Dzurak and his exceptional team, including Stefanie Tardo, Arne Laucht, Henry Yang, among others.

This significant investment will enable the expansion of their team in Australia and facilitate their market launch in the U.S. In collaboration with their foundry partners, the team is set to spearhead qubit development. They aim to leverage proven CMOS techniques to innovate energy-efficient processors, marking a significant leap forward in technology.

ANFF NSW Node at UNSW awarded LEAF Bronze accreditation

The ANFF labs at UNSW have been awarded LEAF BRONZE for their efforts in meeting sustainability targets. Inside UNSW link

The Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF) is an internationally recognized standard for sustainable laboratory operations that helps building a culture of sustainability with improved engagement and collaboration in laboratories around the world.

LEAF is run by UCL (University College London) in the UK
There are three Accreditation Levels: Bronze -> Silver -> Gold

Criteria in the following categories had to be addressed:
• Waste
• People
• Purchasing
• Equipment
• IT
• Sample and Chemical management
• Research Quality
• Ventilation