16 Sep 2022

World’s Best Vacuum Science Researchers Heading to the Southern Hemisphere for the First Time

Media Releases

Sydney has won a global bid to host the 23rd International Vacuum Congress (IVC-23) in 2025, providing an opportune time to profile the work of Sydney’s leading academic institutions, including the University of Sydney’s $150M Sydney Nanoscience Hub.

The premier international gathering in its field, the Congress is expected to attract approximately 1300 global delegates to Sydney over five days generating an estimated $7.5M expenditure into the local economy. The announcement was made to delegates gathered in Sapporo, Japan for the IVC -22.

The IVC has been held every three years since 1958 and is one of the world’s most recognised conferences and the meeting place where the most recent advances in vacuum science and technology are presented and discussed with an emphasis on material science, nanotechnology, biotechnology and life science and science, based on large scale infrastructures.

The bid enjoyed strong Commonwealth support through the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) - home of the Australian Synchrotron.

“The science and technology of vacuum has, over the last 80 plus years, been an enabler of many crucial modern technologies: without vacuum science and technology, most of the high-tech pieces of equipment and devices that we rely on today, such as computers, phones, televisions, electronics etc, would not be possible. We believe IVC-23 will be a real game changer in terms of bringing our community together”.

Anton P.J. Stampfl

Vacuum Society of Australia President, Senior Instrument Scientist at ANSTO and Bid Leader

“The Congress takes a strong stance on inclusion and diversity and is seeking out balance within all its invited speakers and contributors and will make a special program for students in STEM,” he said.

Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology Alister Henskens said the NSW Government is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development (R&D) and this influx of high-value, and high-profile, participants and exhibitors will enhance the State’s vibrant research and technology sector.

“R&D is a key driver of new jobs, businesses and international investment in NSW, which is unlocking enormous opportunities in industries like quantum computing, semiconductors, defence and space,” Mr Henskens said.

“This event is the perfect opportunity to showcase Sydney’s frontier research in quantum science and nanophotonics. Business events are key to global talent attraction and IVC-23 will profile the laboratories and research facilities in the Sydney Nanoscience Hub which, in themselves, serve as a top recruitment and retention tool for the world’s best academic researchers”

Lyn Lewis-Smith

CEO, BESydney

Sydney is leading the way in Vacuum Science in particular the University of NSW’s world leading Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology’s work which links significant research strengths across six Australian universities in 17 coordinated programs. The Centre forms one of the largest combined and focused efforts in quantum computation and communication in the world.