PERTH, WA, April 2022
Australian Research Council (ARC) awards AIRO and its World-Class linkage project $661,000 in funding
Perth-based Australian Institute of Robotic Orthopaedics (AIRO) and its university partners have secured an impressive funding package from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
This significant financial backing will allow the assembled team of experts to accelerate the development of high-powered mid-infra-red (MIR) laser technology, as well as applying the new technology within AIRO’s proprietary High-speed Intelligent Laser Osteotomy (HAiLO™) robotic surgery system.
In partnership with Macquarie University (Professor Jackson and Professor Fuerbach) and the University of Western Australia (Associate Professor Pavlos and Associate Professor Clode), AIRO secured the funding by meeting the key objectives of ARC’s Linkage Projects; namely:
- support the development of long-term strategic research alliances between higher education organisations and industry and other research end-users, in order to apply advanced knowledge to problems;
- provide opportunities for internationally competitive research projects to be conducted in collaboration with organisations outside the higher education sector; and
- enhance the scale and focus of research in Australian Government priority areas.
The ARC funding sees a total of $661,000 awarded over 3 years alongside a significant contribution of cash and in-kind from AIRO.
AIRO see their contribution as a strategic investment to help ensure they stay at the global cutting edge of MIR laser development. It will also allow AIRO to extend its supply chain and further enhance its competitive advantage in the ablation of structurally complex materials, such as bone.
According to AIRO Chairman Professor Michael Henderson, “the unique and underlying platform technology being developed in this project has the parallel potential to be adapted to other industry sectors such as aerospace, defence, polymer processing and industrial material marking. All of which represent incredibly lucrative export markets for the Australian economy.”
For further details see “2021 Round 2: Linkage Projects”.
Reference
ARC Linkage Projects - https://www.arc.gov.au/grants/linkage-program/linkage-projects
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