The managing director of AWA LIimited, Dr. Peter Crawford, the Vice - Chancellor, Prof. Keith Morgan, and Mr Allan Morris, MHR, for Newcastle, listen as Mr. Peter Nicholson, Chairman of AWA Microelectronics PTY. LTD., addresses the press conference in which AWA announced that it will provide $25,000 for each of three years, initially to upgrade a senior lecturer position to a professorship.

This photo appeared in the Campus Bulletin, number 14 December 12 1988 to February 10, 1989.

The text was:

"AWA and Uni forge links in high-tech field After being impressed by the high standard of research and design being carried out in the microchip field by the University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. AWA Limited has agreed to be involved in a close relationship with the University. At a press conference on December 7, the establishment at this University of Australia's first Chair in Microelectronics was announced. AWA Limited will provide $25,000 for each for three years, initially, to upgrade a Senior Lecturers position to a Professorship. This will be a permanent post within the Faculty of Engineering and will be known as the AWA Chair of Microelectronics. The position will be advertised national and is expected to be filled by the start of the academic year in 1989. In addition, AWA Microelectronics (AWAM) will make available design software to be used in the Centre for Industrial Control Sciences (CICS). There will be an interchange of staff and the University will have access to their manufacturing plant for silicon chips at Homebush in Sydney, which cost $65 million and is Australia's most advanced plant for the manufacture of microchips. AWA is a member of the Newcastle-based Australian Warship, Systems consortium which is bidding to build the ANZAC frigates, which place considerable demands on AWA's microelectronics capabilities to support the vessels' communication and defence systems. Dr Peter Crawford, Managing Director of AWA Limited, said the expansion of the University's proven capabilities, the new Chair of Microelectronics, and its access to AWA's development and manufacturing facilities were significant steps in advancing Newcastle's role as a high technology centre. He said AWA's decision to fund the new Chair would provide "a kick-start to something bigger'. The winning of the frigate contract for the city would accelerate this role, but Newcastle had such a substantial infrastructure that it was a logical place to develop a high-technology centre. It would only take one or two high-technology developments and other industries would quickly follow, he said The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Morgan, said the close working relationship between the University and AWA was a substantial and important development for the University and for Newcastle. "AWA an the University are committing themselves to the teaching of skills and development of advanced technologies in a way that benefits both parties and is a key input to the industrial and technological development of Newcastle and the Hunter Region, he said. The Vice-Chancellor said the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering decided, as part of its evolution, to build expertise in the production of microchips so that the Hunter Region would stay abreast of developments. State of the art facilities for microchip design were being installed on the Department's computer network. Many of the features if the system were technologically very advanced. The University wished to acknowledge Mentor Graphics Pty. Ltd., for their technical and financial support for the establishment of the system software, and Apollo-Domain for the computer platforms on which the software was installed. The centre, as envisaged, could arguably be considered the best equipped centre for microelectronics in the country, Professor Morgan said. The direction to microelectronics design has strengthened this year by two departments: integration of the Department of Electrical Engineering and the Department of Computer Science and, the establishment at the University of the Centre for Industrial Control Science whose main aim was to develop innovative ways to understand and design industrial control systems. "The link with AWA is a natural one', he said, "with AWA providing funds for a senior academic position at the University and access for the Department to its new Homebush Bay fabrication plant. The University of Newcastle will become a major computer "laboratory" for integrated circuit design, with links to AWA's fabrication, technological and marketing expertise."

This image was scanned from a photograph in the University's historical photographic collection held by Special Collections.

If you have any information about this photograph, please contact Special Collections or add a Recollection, using these instructions.