Federal Government funding for 3D printing facilities

Federal Government funding will ensure 3D printing facilities at UOW remain at the forefront of bio-printing research.

More than $1.4million is allocated to the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), which provides equipment and personnel for advanced bio-printing research at UOW’s ANFF Materials Node.

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the investment from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure (NCRIS) Agility Fund would help unblock Australia’s potential as an innovation nation by “backing work that offers real and tangible benefits for Australians from all walks of life”.

“Australian needs a coordinated and focused approach to research priorities that are targeted at those things that make a difference to Australia and generate meaningful social and economic benefits,” Minister Birmingham said.

Director the ANFF Materials Node and ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Professor Gordon Wallace, said the additional funding is critical to capitalise on growing opportunities.

“ANFF facilities and expertise support ACES researchers to deliver customised printing techniques and hardware into hospitals across the country,” Professor Wallace said.

Current ANFF and ACES projects include creating 3D-printing scaffolds for:

• Improved glaucoma implants
• Regeneration of damaged cartilage
• Islet cell transplantation to help diabetes sufferers
• Corneal regeneration
• Wound healing

“The best research in the world can only be done with access to the latest in fabrication tools driven by highly talented individuals,” Professor Wallace said.