Metabolomics Australia (MA) is one of three "omics" (including Genomics Australia and Proteomics Australia) and one informatics (Australian Bioinformatics Facility) platform established within Bioplatforms Australia (Bioinformatics Australia), a NCRIS 5.1 Evolving Biomolecular Platforms and Informatics Investment within DEST, to provide integrated functional genomics platform technologies for Systems Biology research.
DEST operates a Programme, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) which is providing $542 million over seven years to assist with the provision of major research facilities, supporting infrastructure and networks necessary for world-class research in Australia. The Programme seeks to ensure that Australia receives the best possible return on its research infrastructure investment. A key focus will be on encouraging collaboration and the effective use of research infrastructure.
MA is committed to helping achieve the objectives of the Programme, through the conduct of the Project to establish, operate and/or provide access to research infrastructure for the NCRIS Research Capability, including:
- in accordance with (an) agreed price(s) and access regime(s), providing researchers in Australia with state of the art facilities and services to support biomolecular and bioinformatics research;
- ensuring that the research infrastructure supported using the funds provides researchers in Australia with the capability to conduct world class biomolecular and bioinformatics research;
- providing necessary training or technical support to users of that infrastructure;
- ensuring effective and efficient operation of each facility or node
Metabolomics Australia (MA) is based on a hub-and-spokes organisational model. MA has nodes in Victoria (UM), South Australia (AWRI), Western Australia (UWA & MU) and Queensland (UQ) and will focus on:
- establishing and maintaining a sustainable state-of-the-art metabolomics service with a supporting computational data storage and analysis capacity;
- working with genomics and proteomics NCRIS platforms and other groups to develop an integrated approach to defining the molecular profile of living systems;
- providing open access for academia and industry;
- training in skills necessary to use MA's advanced metabolomics technologies;
- promoting the dissemination and uptake of the technology through workshops and conferences;
- leveraging other relevant science, technology and innovation infrastructure to achieve strong socio/economic benefits in relevant National Research Priority areas;
Metabolomics Australia (MA) is the entity established to oversee and coordinate the individual nodes within the platform.