The Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre (Austehc) is located at the University of Melbourne and is a leading centre for the preservation, promotion and development of the heritage of Australian science, technology and medicine. It has been particularly active in publishing resources online and has been responsible for the development of a wide range of innovative biographical projects, such as the Australian Dictionary of Biography Online and Bright Sparcs, an online biographical register of more than 4,000 people involved in the development of science, technology and medicine in Australia, including references to their archival materials and bibliographic resources.
The Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre was established in the Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, on 3 May 1999. The Centre continues the academic, research and heritage activities of the Australian Science Archives Project (ASAP) which was established by Professor R.W. Home in 1985. The Director of Austehc since 1999 has been Gavan McCarthy, an international expert and educator on archival documentation and online publishing.
Since its inception, Austehc has established, or supported the development of, the following online resources: