The Australian Emulation Network: Accessing Born Digital Cultural Collections is a 24 month Australian Research Council LIEF funded project that launched in May 2023. The project is led by Chief Investigator Professor Melanie Swalwell at Swinburne University and includes Australian academic partners the University of South Australia (Professor Simon Biggs), RMIT, University of Melbourne, Western Sydney University, University of Western Australia and the University of New South Wales and international academic partners Cornell University (Professor Tim Murray) and Yale University. Industry partners include AARNET, State Library of Victoria, ACMI, Art Gallery of NSW, MAAS, Australian Computer Museum, National Archives of Australia, OpenSLX GmbH, Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, National and State Libraries Australasia, National Library of NZ and Archives NZ.

The project aims to conserve and render born digital artefacts widely accessible by establishing an Australian Emulation Network. High value cultural collections from university archives and the GLAM sector requiring legacy computer environments are targeted. The project will generate new knowledge across media arts, design, and architecture. Outcomes include stabilising and providing researchers with emulated access to born digital cultural artefacts, sharing legacy computer environments across the network, and establishing an Australian software preservation community of practice, building skills in preserving and emulating digital cultural artefacts with substantial future applications also in scientific preservation.

At the University of South Australia our focus is upon the emulation and sharing of multimedia artworks produced in the period 1990-2010 with development environments like Director, Flash and Processing and, in collaboration with our Architecture Museum the emulation and sharing of architectural CAD/CAM materials.

EaaSI researchers at the University of South Australia:
Chief Investigator: Professor Simon Biggs
Architecture Museum Director: Dr. Julie Collins
Post-Doctoral Research Assistant: Dr. Alex Degaris Boot