This week, Monash University Vice-Provost (Research & Research Infrastructure), Professor Ian Smith, along with Dr Jens Greiser, Vice President and CTO and Dr Frank de Jong, Director of Strategic Collaborations at FEI Company, signed the dotted line on an umbrella framework for all future R&D projects and collaborations between the Imaging CoE and FEI Company.

“Collaborative work with multinationals is a step towards the federal government’s current agenda on the commercialisation of publicly funded research and has benefits for the community at large,” says Professor Ian Smith.

This new agreement will see Monash build on its existing relationship with FEI, who are one of the major suppliers of electron microscopes to the university.

FEI have recently collaborated with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging (Imaging CoE) to test a new approach to optimise samples prior to preparing them for vitrification and subsequent cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

Dr Marc Storms, Product Marketing Manager of the FEI Business Unit Life Sciences, says many strategic benefits and scientific insights have been gained and learnt through the collaboration.

“Monash University is a strategically important site for FEI. As one of the leading centres for a wide variation of imaging technologies, the Imaging CoE is also spearheading in the adoption and developments of cryo-TEM. We would like to adopt as much hands-on knowledge in the areas of both sample preparation and image handling and processing: Monash is the perfect incubator for this,” says Dr Storms.

Professor James Whisstock, Imaging CoE Directo says that collaboration framework agreement paves the way for the Centre and Monash University to work on collaborative technology development projects with FEI through the exchange of researchers and expertise between the organisations on a project-by-project basis.

“This agreement is just one example of how Monash University and the CoE are committed to helping translate research into solutions that make a difference. And that ongoing partnerships with companies like FEI help us fulfil this commitment as well as provides further evidence of the value in, and to, Australian research institutions through industry engagement,” says Professor Whisstock.