The possible ill effects on human health of mobile phones and towers will be studied at a virtual centre comprised of research organisations from Victoria and South Australia.

The Centre of Research Excellence in Electromagnetic Energy will be coordinated by Professor Irena Cosic at RMIT University and is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to the tune of AU$500,000 per annum for five years.

Professor Alan Pettigrew, the CEO of the NHMRC, told ZDNet Australia   the council hoped some results from the centre would be available within a couple of years, but -- as with all scientific studies -- it is not feasible to put a timetable on the results.

"We're trying to bring together a whole range of expertise across the country to work on this," said Pettigrew. He said the NHMRC had been in contact with international organisations such as the World Health Organisation to ensure the centre doesn't duplicate work that is being undertaken overseas. The research to be undertaken in Australia -- primarily focussing on cellular interactions and psychological effects -- was chosen by a panel of scientists.

"We're setting up a network of groups tackling the question raised by mobile phone [critics] in a number of different ways, both at a cellular and whole organism level," said Pettigrew. "We expect this research to integrate with worldwide research to determine whether mobile phones have any ill-effects."

The consortium consists of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Victoria), the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (South Australia), Monash University (Victoria), Swinburne University of Technology (Victoria) and Telstra Research Laboratories (Victoria).

Pettigrew said continued funding of the Centre would depend on the success and productivity of the research that was undertaken.

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