The Institute for Mineral & Energy Resources (IMER) is the point of contact at the University of Adelaide for strategic research interests related to mineral and energy resources. It was founded in 2009 and launched h Australian Minister for Mineral Resource Development, Paul Holloway on 5 October 2010. The institute attracted over $18.5 million in research funding and corporate sponsorship in its first year. The IMER facilitates collaborative research between the higher education sector and industry and can take the shape of project collaboration to meet a company's specific needs, consultancy utilising academic researchers and PhD students, organisational collaboration to leverage government funding and long-term partnerships offering mutual benefits.