Transcription of Finance News Network Interview with the University of Tasmania’s Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits Director, Professor Bruce GemmellDonna Sawyer: Hello I’m Donna Sawyer from the Finance News Network and joining me from the University of Tasmania’s, Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits is Director, Professor Bruce Gemmell. Bruce welcome to FNN.
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Thank you very much Donna, pleasure to be here.
Donna Sawyer: Let’s start by talking about the Centre of Excellence in Ore Deposits. For those who aren’t familiar with your work, what do you do?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well Donna we’re a research centre in ore deposits and exploration studies at the University of Tasmania. We’re part of the ARC Centres program, we are a Centre of Excellence which is the highest type of research centre the Federal Government funds. Our job is primarily to undertake research and training for the minerals industry, to help with efficiency and exploration, reduce the risk in exploration work, train up the next generation of employees. And also conduct research that’s of valid interest to the minerals industry.
Donna Sawyer: What has that applied research meant for the mining industry?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well I guess that the types of research that we do at the University of Tasmania, is we go from fundamental science questions and answering those questions, and then putting those into tangible and applied outcomes that the mineral industry can take up. A lot of research that’s done is basic and fundamental at universities, and that’s fantastic research on basic questions. We like to take that information and apply it into tangible outcomes that the minerals industry can use, to discover more mineral deposits.
Donna Sawyer: What key discoveries have CODES contributed to?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well CODES has been around for about 23 or 24 years now and over that time, not only have we produced a lot of top graduates that are working in the minerals industry, but the discoveries that we’ve actually had a direct input into have been the Indochina epithermal gold deposit, about five million ounces of gold in Indonesia. The Rosebery, several of the lenses at the Rosebery massive sulphide deposit in Tasmania. We’ve been part of the Myrtle discovery; it’s a set X type of deposit in northern Australia and also the Beenleigh massive sulphide deposit in Western Australia, at the same time.
Donna Sawyer: So what types of programs are being developed to assist the industry?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well what CODES does is we run a series of AMIRA projects, which is the Australian Mineral Industry Research Association. That’s a group that brings researchers and the industry together to solve problems etc. and we have a large number of programs working on that space. We’ve been the largest provider of the geoscience content into AMIRA over the years. We have a large number of one on one projects with companies, very large projects with Newcrest
(ASX:NCM) or BHP
(ASX:BHP). We have a large number of research higher degree projects going on etc. At the same time, we’re also setting a new program up of training to up skill and reskilling the industry.
As you’re well aware there’s a shortage of good geoscientists within Australia, and the Australian universities can’t really keep up with that demand. We’re bringing a lot of people into Australia now on the 457 visa program, which is great, but many of those people coming in may not have had the same training that the Australian students have had. And we’re embarking on a program of short courses and workshops for either individual companies, or consortium of companies. We’re even for mineral analysts at some of their conferences to help up skill, reskill and impart knowledge that the industry needs.
Donna Sawyer: Where do you operate?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: We’re based at the University of Tasmania. Having said that though, we have projects on every continent of the world, we work in about 30 different countries right now. We have a total staff of about 60 academics, 110 Masters and PHD students that work with us. We also work with a consortium of about 60 mining companies around the world, from the majors down to the small junior companies.
Donna Sawyer: How does your approach to research at CODES differ from other organisations, such as the CSIRO for instance?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Alright, I guess one of the things that we can do at a university is as I’ve mentioned, we work from the fundamental to applied nexus. Many of the other groups don’t do that. We’re also very much a team based organisation; a lot of universities don’t work that way. They have excellent individuals that beaver away and do a great job in their own space. But we tend to work with teams of people from senior researchers, junior researchers and research higher degree students together to solve problems. We found that’s a much better way of solving problems with the industry, also it trains up a lot of people, the younger students that can go on to be the next wave of employees.
Donna Sawyer: As an Australian university organisation, how is CODES rated in the field of economic geology. And how do you go about ensuring your applied research is strategically relevant to the industry?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Right, well the first question is we would like to consider ourselves easily in the top group, for world for economic geology research. Our industry peers etc. all say that to us, because they hire our students and love our research etc. Recently the Australian Government published their Excellence of Research in Australia, a document that came out and our university which is primarily the CODES group in geology, was ranked five out of five which is the top mark they give. And overall, Australia bats above its weight when it comes to geology research, but we’re certainly pleased to be a five out of five ranking in that.
Donna Sawyer: Tell me about your funding model. How much support do you get from industry versus federal funding?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: The funding model that we have in our current Centre of Excellence, is about 50 per cent of our funding comes from the mineral industry, through a variety of projects and some untied funding that comes into our group. We have about a quarter of our funding comes from the ARC Centres program from the Federal Government, and about a quarter of the funding comes from the University of Tasmania.
Donna Sawyer: Do you think the recent change in Government will impact your operations in any way?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well there’re a couple of things going on right now. I would say that with the new Federal Government coming in, with potentially repealing the mining tax and the carbon tax that is going to give better sentiment to the minerals industry. And maybe loosen up the purse strings a bit to fund the research etc., down the line. Having said that our Centre, the Federal Government funding for our Centre, ends at the end of this year; we knew that was coming but we’re certainly embarking on a program now to replace that, which is about $3 million a year into our research fund.
So we have a program of setting up a trust fund, a sub trust of the University’s foundation for philanthropic donations into that fund, which will then help fund CODES. We have an industry sponsorship program and we’re working on running a series of workshops, for the minerals industry and mineral analysts that would bring funding into CODES, to sustain our momentum. And keep our critical mass, as we sort of transition away from the Australian Centres program, into the future of CODES.
Donna Sawyer: Finally Bruce, what are you hoping to achieve at CODES during the next 12 months?
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Well my biggest job right now is to secure the funding for the group, going forward. We have a whole series of new programs; we’re running out research programs, we’re getting ourselves involved in uranium research. In the past, we’ve primarily been involved with copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold types of deposits and the research we’re moving and branching in to do, are styles of mineralisation there. We’re also starting some new programs that the minerals industry might be interested in.
We’re going to have a professional doctor, which is instead of a research doctor. It’s where people that have developed a wealth of knowledge during their careers, can come back to the university for a short period of time, write that up and get qualification based on their wealth of knowledge they’ve gained. We’re also embarking on an MBA program in minerals geoscience in conjunction with our school business, at the University of Tasmania as well. So we’ve got a large number of new programs for the future of CODES.
Donna Sawyer: Professor Bruce Gemmell thanks for the introduction to CODES.
Prof Bruce Gemmell: Thank you very much, my pleasure.
Ends
