Background

After a prolonged period of major contraction, the Australian exploration industry is experiencing a period of expansion buoyed by a predicted strong and sustained global demand for resources.

In such an environment, knowledge resources are critical to companies planning to increase the quantity and quality of their exploration portfolios. One key resource for this task which is currently poorly appreciated and often difficult to access is that of university theses completed over the past 50 years or more.

Professor Allan White, well known to most Australian geologists, with his colleague Dr Amarendra Changkakoti at the University of Melbourne, has proposed to develop a university thesis database for all Australian universities to fill this gap in available knowledge.

The primary database will provide an Internet-based searchable resource for all theses related to mineralisation as well as significant regional geological studies in mineralised districts. Each entry will also be accompanied by a summary description of the thesis findings (or the abstract if permission from authors can be obtained).

The database will be progressively released to sponsors during the 18 month program, with each release remaining confidential to sponsors for a period of 6 months from release. Following the expiry of each period of confidentiality, the database will be also released to public subscribers of Data Metallogenica (www.datametallogenica.com). At the conclusion of the project, ownership of the database will be retained by Data Metallogenica and AMIRA International.

AMIRA International therefore invites sponsorship of P874 from all interested supporters. The project will run for 18 months and will cost approximately $190,000 in total. Of this, approximately AUD$53,000 will be provided as in-kind support by the University of Melbourne, with $136,000 being sought from mining and exploration companies through AMIRA International.

Sponsorship has been set at two levels, depending on the size of the sponsoring company:  

For AMIRA members:

• Major Sponsor (major and medium level producers) - $8,000 (+GST) in Year 1, $4,000 (+GST) in Year 2
• Minor Sponsor (small producers, junior explorers, geological surveys) - $2,000 (+GST) in Year 1, $1,000 (+GST) in Year 2

For non-members of AMIRA:

• Major Sponsor (major and medium level producers) - $8,800 (+GST) in Year 1, $4,400 (+GST) in Year 2
• Minor Sponsor (small producers, junior explorers, geological surveys) - $2,200 (+GST) in Year 1, $1,100 (+GST) in Year 2

For a demonstration of a preliminary trial version of the web database, click here.

To download the detailed proposal, click here. (1MB)

For further information or feedback please contact: