On 1 March, the Australia Branch of IMI was established in La Trobe University (Melbourne) after a long preparation, and Assistant Professor Dimetre Triadis arrived at the post on the same day. Currently an associate professor is under the process of selection, and the Australia Branch will be managed as a hub of collaborations with research institutes of Asia Pacific areas under the structure of two faculty members, an associate professor and an assistant professor, in near future.

On 12 and 13 March, the inaugural meeting “Kick-off Meeting of IMI Australia Branch in La Trobe – Mathematics Bridge over the Pacific for Competitive Edge in Industry” will be held in La Trobe University. In the meeting, the talks by leading researchers of industrial and applied mathematics will be given as well as the poster session by the graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. In the afternoon of 12 March, the official opening ceremony will be held with the attendance of Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade of Victoria, and Consul-General of Japan in Melbourne. The details of the meetings will be reported later.