NICTA, Swinburne Uni open software R&D lab

National ICT Australia (NICTA) and the Swinburne University of Technology have opened a joint software R&D laboratory in Victoria.

The organisations said the NICTA Swinburne Software Innovation Lab, located at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus, will bring together NICTA’s ICT research capabilities and the university’s industry-focused software development skills.

The lab will house around a dozen R&D staff and a similar number of PhD and project students, with skill sets covering software engineering, mobile and cloud computing, information visualisation and software security.

Its operation will be funded by NICTA, Swinburne and industry participants, while other Victorian universities will be invited to participate on various projects.

R&D work will cover a range of industries, including manufacturing, utilities, transport and logistics, health, ICT companies and government agencies.

The research lead for the new lab, professor John Grundy, said a key aim of the project is to “leverage University, NICTA and industry expertise to deliver tangible impacts to organisations and society by deriving benefits from software systems research by solving challenging ICT industry R&D problems”.

Swinburne already has prior experience working with organisations including The Alfred Hospital, VicRoads and The Defence Science and Technology Organisation on innovative software solutions.

Projects have included helping VicRoads ensure a high percentage of road-worthy cars are driving on Victorian roads, as well as reducing errors associated with the reception and resuscitation of major trauma patients.

Pictured: Swinburne University of Technology’s Hawthorne campus, courtesy of Widhl Rachmanto under CC