The Parker Centre has won the 1999 Business/Higher Education Round Table (BHERT) Award for Outstanding Achievement in Collaborative Research & Development involving a CRC.

The annual BHERT Awards recognise outstanding achievements in collaboration between business and higher education, with the aim of highlighting the benefits of such collaboration.

The Parker Centre received a BHERT Award for its innovative research into the optimisation of hydrometallurgical processing of Australian alumina, gold, nickel and other metals and metallic compounds.

Australia has in the Parker Centre the world's largest hydrometallurgy research organisation. The Centre has made important advances in hydrometallurgical science and engineering and transfer of its results to industry saves the Australian minerals industry $10-$20 million a year.

Its research and technology transfer successes gained the Parker Centre a second seven years of funding ($18.5 million in total) from the Federal Government's CRC Program earlier in the year.

The Centre has also trained students and staff as researchers in hydrometallurgy for the industry and provided relevant continuing education courses for industry professionals.

Submissions for the BHERT Awards were assessed on the basis of innovation, national benefits, the strength of the relationship between the collaborating partners, the cultural impact on the partners and whether the project or program had attracted new participants.

The judging panel said the quality and standard of the applications was very impressive.

Senator Nick Minchin, Federal Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, presented the Award to the Parker Centre's CEO, Professor Ian Ritchie, at an Awards dinner held recently.

The Centre's award was one of six awards given for outstanding achievement in collaborative R&D. There were also four award winners in the area of oustanding achievement in collaboration in education and training.