NICTA is pleased to announce the official launch of Scalify, a start-up company specialising in peer-to-peer networking technology. Scalify’s core technology, Badumna, was developed over four years at NICTA. It improves the delivery of multi-player online applications, such as online games and virtual environments, which are increasingly being used for online learning and training. The start-up is supported by a $2M investment by Starfish Ventures, announced today.

Prime Minister Gillard visited NICTA’s headquarters in Sydney today to tour its new Digital Productivity lab which brings researchers and small businesses together to help businesses take advantage of high-speed broadband. The PM also toured NICTA’s Future Logistics Living Lab, a purpose built ‘living laboratory’ for industry and research to come together and apply ICT to solve challenges facing the supply chain logistics industry.

NICTA congratulates Professor Bob Williamson, for being elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Professor Williamson, Leader of NICTA’s Machine Learning Research Group at the Canberra Research Laboratory and Professor of the Research School of Computer Science, Australian National University, was awarded the fellowship for developing powerful new methods and theoretical arguments for analysing data.

NICTA is leading a multi-million dollar ICT-enabled geothermal energy initiative announced by the Australian Centre for Renewable Energy (ACRE) today. NICTA’s robust research capabilities in machine learning and in the increasingly significant area of big data analytics will be used to locate geothermal energy sources deep beneath the surface of the Earth.

NICTA’s seventh annual technology showcase, Techfest 2012, opened its doors today on a huge array of original Australian information and communications technology. Over 60 ICT projects and new business ideas were featured. More than 600 visitors, including high school children, industry leaders, venture capitalists, senior Government officials and members of the public, registered for this year’s event, making it NICTA’s biggest Techfest yet.

NICTA today opened a visually exciting, purpose-built demonstration facility to showcase new digital tools to improve Australia’s productivity. Located in the NICTA building at the Australian Technology Park, the Digital Productivity Showcase (DPS) was launched by Senator the Hon. Stephen Conroy, Federal Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Digital Productivity, and Mark Paterson AO, Director General, NSW Department of Trade & Investment, Regional Infrastructure & Services.

Techfest 2012, the seventh annual showcase of groundbreaking ICT research from NICTA, will take place on Thursday 23 February 2012 from 1.00pm – 6.30pm at the Australian Technology
Park in Sydney.

Under a new three-year agreement with US-based surveying company GeoNav Group International,automatic video analysis technology developed by NICTA will be used to help improve road safety through the creation of accurate inventories - or ‘maps’ - of road signs and power poles.

The Australian Capital Territory Government has announced funding for NICTA of $3 million per year over four years. ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher announced the funding at NICTA’s Canberra Research Laboratory today.

Respected IT industry executive Tony Henshaw has been appointed to the NICTA Board. Mr Henshaw has worked in the industry for over 35 years, holding senior roles at Telstra, Unisys, EDS, Aspect Computing and Computer Power. Mr Henshaw recently retired from NYSE-listed IT software and services company Unisys, where he was Vice President and General Manager for the company’s outsourcing and infrastructure services business in the Asia Pacific.

NICTA congratulates former CEO Dr David Skellern and current Research Evaluation Committee member Professor Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan on their inclusion in the prestigious Australia Day Honours lists.