PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The federal government will invest A$7.67-million to fund two mining research centers in partnership with universities and commercial supporters, to develop data science skills for the mining industry.

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the centres will help Australia’s mining industry better use data to make evidence-based decisions that lead to more efficient operations.

“We need to ensure that we are turning our research into real-world benefits because Australia’s world-leading research sector will be a key driver of jobs and productivity.

“When we get collaboration between research and industry right, the benefits are unambiguous.”

One hub will be based at the University of Sydney, with the other at the University of Adelaide.

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan said the funding would help keep Australia’s resources sector at the top of its research game.

“A key part of last year’s National Resources Statement was to better focus the sector’s innovation and R&D on long-term, sectoral growth. These new centres will dovetail in with those plans,” Canavan said.

“We are blessed with abundant, high quality resources such as coal, iron-ore and gas which return billions to our economy each year. Demand for the minerals that drive modern technologies, like lithium, rare earths, nickel and cobalt, is also surging.

“Continued investment in research will keep our resources sector ‘on top' by increasing our knowledge in areas such as mining engineering, mineral processing, geoscience and the environment, attracting more investment and helping governments make more informed decisions.”

Research activity at the University of Sydney will focus on data analytics related to the long-term impact of resource use on Australia’s economy, society and environment. It will help develop the necessary data science skills for Australia’s resource industries to make the best possible evidence-based decisions when using our natural resources.

The centre, to be based at the University of Adelaide, will train the next generation of scientists and engineers in advanced sensors and data analytics, to enable Australia’s mining industry to increase certainty on product quality and maximise resource recovery.