The development of an innovative online research application and assessment system by the Australian Antarctic Division has been recognised with a national technology productivity award, presented at Parliament House in Canberra last night.

Professor Michael Stoddart, Chief Scientist for the Australian Antarctic Program said last night at the award ceremony that the system was a credit to its developers, and a great example of the benefits to be gained from the ever-evolving internet technology.

“The Antarctic Research Application and Assessment System has proved to be very successful, particularly in terms of making it far more convenient for researchers to submit research proposals, which are then assessed online against the identified needs of the overall objectives of the Australian Antarctic Program. The system complements the international nature of the Australian Antarctic Program, with many of our projects being collaborative research efforts, that involve applicants from a variety of national and international institutions”, Professor Stoddart said last night.

Developed by staff from the Australian Antarctic Division in Kingston, Tasmania, the application lodgement and review system is designed to meet a variety of needs including for logistic support and environmental impact assessment.

“The system also allows for progress and final reports on the various projects to be submitted online, creating a valuable database of Antarctic research efforts which can be accessed world-wide by researchers and the public alike.” Professor Stoddart said.

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