One of the University of Queensland's largest postgraduate research and industry consulting centres will expand its overseas activities, according to its new director.
Professor Tim Napier-Munn heads the University's Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), an internationally renowned self-funded postgraduate research school and consulting organisation serving the Australian and international mining industry.
JKMRC has more than doubled in size in the past 10 years. Its complement of 120 includes 50 graduate students, and in 1996 it earned revenues totalling $8.2 million - $5.8m for research and $2.4 million in consulting and software sales.
Growth has been achieved through diversification within its mainstream activities of mining and processing research, and by expanding its consulting and technology transfer activities.
'The Centre's extensive portfolio of intellectual property provides great potential for future growth, even in the context of a much more crowded and competitive research environment,' Professor Napier-Munn said.
'Plans are under way to commercialise many instruments and other hardware items developed by the Centre in recent years, and to expand the software business.
'Twenty percent of research and commercial revenues were sourced overseas in 1996, and international activities represent a major opportunity for growth. The Centre already has substantial business in North and South America, southern Africa and parts of south-east Asia, and has also worked in Europe, Russia, China and India.
'These initiatives will complement and enhance our core functions as a training school for postgraduate students and as a credible and effective technical service to the mining industry.
'The JKMRC under its previous directors has developed an international reputation as a postgraduate research school which is very good at technology transfer. This must and will remain our principal mission.'
Tim Napier-Munn was born and educated in England, lived as a child in Germany, Indonesia and England, and has worked professionally for 26 years in mineral industry research and development in South Africa, England and Australia.
He graduated from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, London in 1970 with a degree in mineral technology. He later acquired a masters degree from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and a PhD from Imperial College, both while studying part-time.
He spent 11 years working for the De Beers Diamond Research Laboratory in Johannesburg, conducting research and development for diamond mining operations in southern Africa. During the last four and a half years of that appointment, he managed the laboratory's Mines Division, where he was responsible for the direction of the company's corporate mineral processing and security R&D.
Between 1977 and 1981 he lectured and conducted research at the Royal School of Mines.
In 1985 he joined the JKMRC as manager of mineral and coal processing research, later becoming research director and deputy director. Professor Napier-Munn has been responsible for several new mineral processing research initiatives, and has directly managed JKMRC projects worth more than $10 million in his 11 years at the Centre.
He succeeds Professor Don McKee, who has been appointed director of the University's Sir James Foots Institute of Mineral Resources.
For further information, contact Professor Napier-Munn, telephone 3365 5806.
