Milestone and another award for Parker Centre

Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources Nick Minchin presents the Award to the Parker Centre's CEO Professor Ian Ritchie.

The AJ Parker Co-operative Research Centre for Hydrometallurgy recently achieved two major milestones — the opening of its new administrative headquarters on the Murdoch University campus and adding another, prestigious award to its list of honours.

At the opening of the new offices, WA's Governor, Major General Michael Jeffery singled out innovation, imagination and inspiration as the hallmarks of the Parker Centre's success.

"Since 1992 the Parker Centre has worked to keep our mining and energy industry sector at the cutting edge of technology," the Governor said. "Its research and technology transfer successes have resulted in a second seven years of funding, worth $18.5 million, from the CRC Programme."

That success earned the Centre the Business/Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) award for outstanding achievement in collaborative R&D involving a Co-operative Research Centre — specifically its innovative research into optimising hydrometallurgical processing of Australian alumina, gold, nickel and other metals and metallic compounds.

In less than a decade, the Parker Centre — the world's largest hydrometallurgy research organisation — has developed and transferred advances in hydrometallurgical science and engineering that have saved Australia's minerals industry $10-$20 million a year.

The BHERT awards recognise outstanding achievements in collaboration between business and higher education, with the aim of highlighting the benefits of such collaboration. They also honour projects or programmes that have produced new products or services.

Submissions are assessed on the basis of innovation, national benefits, the strength of the relationship between the collaborating partners, the cultural impact on the partners and whether the project or programme has attracted new participation.

Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources Nick Minchin presented the award to the Parker Centre's CEO Professor Ian Ritchie.