STRATEGIES FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

The Technology Transfer activities of the CRC focus on the utilisation and application of its research outputs and developing links with the large span of Australian industry, which uses welding and joining. WTIA, as a Core Partner, has a major role in the technology transfer activities of the CRC being Australia's only membership-based organisation for this industry sector and the coordinator of the OzWeld Technology Support Centres Network.

The principle needs of Australian industry in the welding and joining sectors in order to achieve improved competitiveness for export enhancement and import replacement as well as to enhance the national engineering infrastructure are:

improved utilisation of world's best practice mature technology, or where that is not applicable due to scale effects, the most appropriate mature technology. Australia has been quick to adopt new technology in fields such as office automation and telecommunications, but in many areas continues to use manufacturing methods and equipment which are innefficient and outdated;
accelerated access to new technology developed overseas;
access to long term high quality strategic research for the development of new or improved welding and joining technology within Australia;
access to highly competent research infrastructure for short term tactical research for solution of problems and to tackle niche applications special to the Australian market.

NEW INITIATIVES

The CRC Core Partners form an integral part of the Technology Support Centres Network established by the WTIA in early 1998 and which now links 29 centres including Core Partners. Industry sponsors, Federal and State Governments, support the network. By creating a cooperative network between centres of technical excellence - in industry, research, government and education, top welding engineers and technologists and related organisations in Australia and overseas, the project will take technology transfer into the market place, targeting, in particular, small and medium sized industries using welding and joining techniques. The overlaying of this technology transfer and communication network, uniting the extensive range of Australian and international sources of welding technology support is unique in the world, and represents a major step towards global competitiveness and technical excellence for Australian industry.

The Network has State Technology Managers based in five mainland States and the Northern Territory with the Victorian-based Manager responsible also for Tasmania and NSW-based Manager responsible for the ACT. The CRC provides a resource to support this Network through its linkages of scientific and technological expertise, and in turn receives feedback from industry on its needs and capabilities.

SMART (Save Money and Re-engineer with Technology) industry groups have been created for Sponsors in the Pipeline, Petro/Chemical and Power Generation industries, including relevant Core Partners. These closed forums facilitate the sharing of technologies and solutions, and allow group action to be taken for the betterment of the industries as a whole. They are important vehicles for the feedback of industry needs, and potential project support for the CRC. Further groups are planned for Steel Shipbuilding and Minerals Processing industries.

ONGOING TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

WTIA publishes the results of the CRC Research programs through its Australasian Welding Journal. These are published in a refereed Research Supplement to the Journal. The research activities of the CRC are also publicised through the Internet Web site operated by WTIA. Conferences and Seminars are organised by WTIA and provide further avenues for technology transfer.

The strong international linkages of the CRC, especially with TWI in the UK, are vital to meeting the goals for Australian industry. Part of the role of the OzWeld Network is to actively link into the vast resources of overseas organisations, and to facilitate access to relevant technologies by Australian industry, particularly SMEs which may not otherwise have this contact. International members of the Network include TWI (UK), Deutscher Verband fur Schweisstechnik (Germany), Welding Research Council (USA), Heavy Engineering Research Association (New Zealand), FORCE Institute (Denmark), Pressure Vessel Research Council (USA) and the Materials Properties Council (USA).