About

Intersect Australia Ltd has been established as the peak eResearch organisation in NSW. Intersect is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, established by its founding members to provide eResearch services and solutions. Intersect’s establishment was funded through a $2.8M grant from the NSW Government (see media release) via the Office for Scientific and Medical Research.

Intersect services the research sector in NSW, including universities and relevant public and private sector agencies, by developing a concentration of eResearch expertise in the State. Intersect works with the existing technical capabilities of its members and partners to identify, develop and deliver world-class ICT enabled platforms to drive the next generation of research and innovation. 

Developing such a coordinated approach to eResearch capacity building is critical to maintaining and enhancing NSW’s status as Australia’s leading research state and positioning NSW to compete favourably in the increasingly globalised and on-line world of research.

In summary, Intersect's goals are to:

  • Deliver professional quality projects and services to its member institutions
  • Raise awareness and stimulate the uptake of eResearch technologies primarily at NSW universities and public and private sector research agencies
  • Address eResearch skills shortages through the provision of training, professional development and career enhancement opportunities
  • Promote high impact research outcomes through:
    • the identification, development and delivery of valuable eResearch tools and services and
    • furthering collaboration between NSW researchers and links with other national and international centres of excellence
  • Achieve greater efficiencies through:
    • the sharing of common infrastructure/technology platforms,
    • the facilitation of joint funding bids including with international, government and industry partners, and
    • the leveraging of co-funded projects with Platforms for Collaboration (PfC), and other NCRIS capability areas
  • Provide a focus for the application of eResearch in the humanities, arts and social sciences
  • Represent NSW interests at the national level through direct participation in the various PfC Boards and Committees
  • Act as the primary coordinating mechanism for the delivery of PfC agency services such as ARCS, ANDS and NCI to NSW research institutions
  • Enable closer collaboration between NSW government agencies engaged in research and the broader academic community. 

Intersect is the NSW member of the Australian Research Collaboration Service (ARCS), and works closely with the other PfC agencies such as the Australian National Data Service (ANDS), the National Computational Infrastructure (NCI), Australian Research and Education Network (AREN) and Australian Access Federation (AAF).