News Alerts

CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship launched

CSIRO has launched its ninth Research Flagship, the Climate Adaptation National Research Flagship.

The new research group, headed by Flagship Director, Dr Andrew Ash, will have a particular focus on better understanding and preparing for the impacts of climate change, which the draft Garnaut Report described as “locked-in” up to 2030.

Dr Ash said that the quantity of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, together with natural time-lags built into the climate system, mean that some ongoing climate change is now unavoidable.

It is predicted that Australia’s average temperature will rise by between 0.7 and 1.2 degrees by 2030, while rainfall is likely to decrease by 2 per cent to 5 per cent over much of the continent.

“Many of the decisions that will shape Australia in 2030 are being made today – such as new infrastructure and urban developments - so now is the time to incorporate climate adaptation into our thinking,” Dr Ash said.

Speaking at the launch in Canberra, the Innovation Minsiter, Senator Kim Carr, said the Flagship will work with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, which is funded by the Commonwealth and led by Griffith University, and is also setting up specific-purpose research clusters in partnership with the university sector. One of these will look at the implications of climate change for the health of Australians, and a second will assess adaptation options for south-east Queensland.

Funding for the Climate Adaptation Flagship was announced just over a year ago. Since then CSIRO has been expanding its research into climate adaptation and establishing new collaborations and partnerships around the issue.  In the 2008-09 financial year the Flagship’s research budget will be close to $30 million.

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Scorecard shows IP applications increasing

Australian intellectual property applications have grown steadily since 1999, according to the Intellectual Property Scorecard 2002-2006, released recently by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

The key points of the Scorecard are:

• Since 2002 there has been an almost continual increase in the percentage of patents applications in Australia, with a 6.9% increase between 2005 and 2006.
• Trade marks continue to be the most common form of IP protection. Three of the top five trade marks classes relate to services rather than goods. Since their inception in 1979, service marks have in general enjoyed higher annual growth rates compared with growth in goods marks.
• In 2006, Australia ranked 10th for patents granted to foreign-based applicants by the USPTO. The percentage of patent grants to Australians by the USPTO has been rising over the past five years. As in Australia, Australians acquired US patents mostly in areas such as Handling and Printing; Information Technology; Medical Engineering; and Consumer Goods and Equipment.
• There has been a trend increase in the number of patents granted to Australians by the EPO, but at a much lower level than grants by the USPTO.
• Areas in which Australia has a Revealed Technological Advantage (RTA) for patents granted by IP Australia include Civil Engineering, Building and Mining; Handling and Printing; Transport; Mechanical Tools; and Space Technology and Weapons. Australia has recorded an RT A for patents granted by the USPTO and the EPO in areas such as Agriculture and Food Machinery; Civil Engineering, Building and Mining; Space Technology and Weapons; and Biotechnology.

The Scorecard can be downloaded at http://www.innovation.gov.au

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Reports on management of nanotechnology released

Two new reports have been released relating to the future and management of nanotechnology in Australia.

A Review of Possible Impacts of Nanotechnology on Australia's Regulatory Framework, conducted by the Centre for Regulatory Studies at Monash University, found that while there is no immediate need for major changes to the regulatory regime, there are many areas which potentially will need amending. It identified six areas of potential concern which might provide regulatory triggers for new nanomaterials.

The second report, Australian Government Approach to the Responsible Management of Nanotechnology, outlines the approach of the Australian Government to capturing the benefits of nanotechnology while addressing health, safety and environmental concerns.

Key objectives for managing research into and application of nanotechnologies include:
• to protect the health and safety of humans and the environment;
• to foster informed community debate, and
• to achieve economic and social benefits from the responsible adoption of nanotechnology.

The report concluded:
"The challenges posed by nanotechnology result from its breadth, both in terms of science – cutting across physics, chemistry, engineering and biology – and the wide range of the potential applications that it can help to develop.

There are established and robust regulatory arrangements already in place to address human health and environmental safety issues associated with these materials and products, as well as manufacturers’ and suppliers’ liability obligations. Relevant Australian Government agencies are gathering information from all available scientific sources and have established comprehensive networks for the exchange of information on the use of nanotechnology both within Australia and internationally and will adjust procedures if necessary.

There has so far been no demonstrated need for a specific regulatory system for engineered nanomaterials. However, as the science and applications of nanotechnology are evolving rapidly, governments need to be active in monitoring developments so as to ensure the regulatory frameworks charged with protecting public health, safety and the environment keep pace with these changes."

Copies of both documents are available at: www.nanotechnology.gov.au

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New funding for Australian e-Health Research Centre

The Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC), based in Brisbane, has been re-launched as a national venture, supported by new funding of $20 million over four years from CSIRO and the Queensland government. The Centre, headed by CEO Gary Morgan, will be relocated to new premises at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Clinical Research at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

The AEHRC was established in 2003 as a joint venture between CSIRO and the Queensland Government, and has become a key delivery point into the health system for CSIRO health research based on information and communication technologies (ICT).

The AEHRC has research nodes in Adelaide and Melbourne and its research program delivers to CSIRO's Preventative Health National Research Flagship, which seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians through research into prevention, early detection and intervention.

Research undertaken at the AEHRC is leading to the development of simulated training tools, home monitoring systems for patients recovering from heart attack, and improved imaging techniques to facilitate early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Advanced software tools are also being used to link and analyse large data sets to help improve cancer care, better understand the risks associated with anaesthesia and enable secure and ready access of electronic medical records for healthcare professionals.

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States support investigation of induced stem cells

The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh has announced that the state will invest $308,000 in the Australian Stem Cell Centre at the University of Queensland to assist the Centre to develop and manufacture induced stem cell lines and to undertake a comparison of induced pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult cells that have been reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. Scientists from Japan and America made the discovery that these cells could be made from human skin cells in late 2007.

The Queensland node of the Australian Stem Cell Centre, which opened in April, is headed by Chief Scientist, Professor Melissa Little, and will collaborate with other centres in Australia and overseas.

Sydney IVF Limited and the Australian Stem Cell Centre based in Melbourne were last month also awarded funding of $550,000 from the NSW and Victorian Governments.

The program will compare induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with human embryo derived stem cells and stem cells derived from a somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) process using clinically unusable eggs. The aim is to develop a routine repeatable way of making patient-specific stem cells within the nationally approved legislative guidelines.

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Tasmania to look at response of agriculture to climate change

As part of its recently released Framework for Action on Climate Change, the Tasmanian Government will commission the Australian Innovation Research Centre (AIRC) to make recommendations on the best means to encourage greater innovation in Tasmania’s agricultural sector in response to climate change.

AIRC has conducted a significant research project on the role of technological innovation in responding to climate change and has worked with groups including wine growers in the Coal River Valley to better understand their successful approach to growth through innovation. The AIRC will advise the Government on policy, program and legislative settings that it can introduce in Tasmania to promote greater innovation in the agricultural sector.
The AIRC’s report will be received by early 2009.

Future action under the Framework may also include  a  focus on agricultural research under the Government’s partnership agreement with the University of Tasmania, which already includes a commitment to work cooperatively to ensure that high quality science underpins decisions on responses to climate change in Tasmania. This could include work through the Centres of Excellence within the Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, and with the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute.
The Framework for Action is available at www.climatechange.tas.gov.au

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New Institute for Sustainable Solutions launched

The University of Sydney has launched a new Institute for Sustainable Solutions that will focus on issues such as climate change, renewable energy, population growth, health, food and energy security, providing new ways of thinking about solutions.

Funded by a multi-million dollar endowment from the University and philanthropic donations, the Institute will work with the centres for Integrated Sustainability Analysis, International Security Studies, and the United States Studies Centre, where specific funding for sustainability projects has been earmarked. Philanthropic and industry support have led to the Judith and David Coffey Chair in Agricultural Sustainability and a new Chair in Sustainable Energy Development funded by Delta Energy. Additionally a new Chair in Urban Design/Planning is under recruitment.

Key issues such as land and water sustainability, renewable energy, energy conservation, carbon capture and emission management, sustainable building design, urban planning, public health and well-being, economic development, triple bottom line analysis, and environmental and international treaty law will be addressed by the Institute.

These research themes will span four main areas:
• Energy – alternatives, emissions and management.
• Environment – land, water and air, both natural and in man-made environments.
• Development – policy, security, economics, law, politics and planning.
• Health – protecting physical, mental and social health in a time of change.

Further information about the Institute is available at http://www.usyd.edu.au/sustainable_solutions/

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Announcements

Climate change research program - Expressions of Interest

Climate change research program
Expressions of Interest

Australia’s Farming Future is the Australian Government’s climate change initiative for primary industries.

Expressions of Interest for projects addressing the research priorities of Australia’s Farming Future are invited for funding in 2008–09.

Research, development and demonstration (RDD) activities funded under the initiative will deliver farm tools and management techniques to help primary producers manage greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

Research priorities for Australia’s Farming Future are detailed in the funding guidelines available online at www.daff.gov.au/farmingfuture.

Large scale collaborative proposals with cross sectoral applications are strongly encouraged. Projects should also aim to demonstrate the application of the research on the farm.

For more information on Australia’s Farming Future—including details on the RDD application process, eligible providers and an Expression of Interest form—visit www.daff.gov.au/farmingfuture, email farmingfuture@daff.gov.au or call 1800 638 746.

Deadline for Expressions of Interest - 5.00 pm, 5 September 2008.

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Call for Round Three Applications: Australia-India Strategic Research Fund

Overview
The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) facilitates and supports science and technology research cooperation between Australia and India. The AISRF assists Australian researchers to increase their participation in leading edge scientific research with Indian counterparts, raises the profile of Australian research, and supports the development of strategic alliances between Australian and Indian researchers.

Support Available
Competitive funding support is available for collaborative projects and workshops covering a range of mutually agreed priority areas. Under the Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund, these areas are: vaccines and medical diagnostics; biomedical devices and implants; nutraceuticals and functional foods; transgenic crops; stem cells; and bioremediation. Priority areas for the Indo-Australian Science and Technology Fund are: agricultural research; environment sciences; astronomy and astrophysics; microelectronic devices and materials; nanotechnology; renewable energy; marine science; and earth systems science.

Applications for funding will be accepted from: tertiary education institutions; Cooperative Research Centres; Australian registered businesses; registered industry groups; Australian public sector research agencies; and Australian private, not for profit, research organisations.

How to Apply
Applications for funding for Indo-Australian Science and Technology Fund and Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund grants will be assessed on a competitive basis against specific criteria. The Australian and Indian Governments will bilaterally determine which applications for funding are successful.

Round Three will open on Monday 4 August 2008 at 9:00 AM AEST and close on Friday 26 September 2008 at 17:00 PM AEST.

Australian applicants should refer to the AISRF guidelines, available at www.innovation.gov.au/aisrf before commencing their application.

Further information is also available by contacting the International Science Branch by email: aisrf@innovation.gov.au or by phone: (02) 6240 9387.

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GlaxoSmithKline Australia Post Graduate Support Grant

Announcing the GlaxoSmithKline Australia Post Graduate Support Grant

Our global quest is to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. To achieve our quest, GlaxoSmithKline invests up to $35 million each year in Australian research and development - ranking us in Australia’s top 15 R&D companies.*

Support grants for postgraduate research students

GSK Australia is pleased to offer grant awards of up to $15,000 per annum for two years to PhD or Post Doctorate students in the field of human health.

These awards will provide additional financial support to PhD or Post Doctorate research students who are currently in receipt of a research grant from a non-commercial body.

How to apply

For further information and application forms, please visit www.gsk.com.au/research

Closing date for applications and supporting documentation is 5.00pm (AEST) Friday 25 July 2008.

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Further Education

Rapid Product Development workshops with Don Reinertsen

Rapid Product Development workshops with Don Reinertsen

Prodex Systems presents Don Reinertsen, author of “Managing the Design factory” and co-author of “Developing Products in Half the Time”, for a series of two-day MasterClass workshops and one-day seminars in Australia in August. These workshops will focus on the technical and quantitative tools required to execute a project rapidly with a foundation approach of grounding project decisions solidly on underlying economics.

“As product life-cycles shorten, the economic importance of development speed increases. Yet, many companies continue rely on old management approaches designed for a world of sequential processes, functional organizations, and stable marketplaces... a world that no longer exists. Such methods are dangerously inappropriate. Instead, companies must create a new development environment based on cross-functional teams and highly overlapped processes. This new environment requires project trade-off rules, progressive specification, and piecewise product integration.” - Don Reinertsen

Don Reinertsen has been recognized internationally for his contributions in the field of product development, in particular the fresh perspectives and quantitative rigor to the development process. Don is most noted for his landmark article “6 months delay can be worth 33 percent of lifecycle profits” he wrote whilst working for McKinsey & Co.. Don holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.

Don Reinertsen’s Australian events include:

Sydney: Rapid Development Masterclass – 11th & 12th of August (limited to 40 seats only)
Melbourne: Managing the Design Factory Masterclass – 13 & 14th August (limited to 40 seats only)
Adelaide: Flow - Second Generation Lean Product Development Seminar – 15th August
Brisbane: Developing Products in Half-the-Time Seminar – 18th August

For more information about these events visit www.prodex.com.au/training

Or contact events manager - Josh Willoughby on (07) 3369 9350 or j.willoughby@prodex.com.au

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Conferences & Events

Victorian Minister for Innovation says InnoFuture 08 encourages innovation in Australia

Globally, over two-thirds of wealth is generated through knowledge and services-based industries. The economies thriving in this environment are ones that think beyond traditional, commoditised goods and services.

Victoria is Australia’s strongest non-resource-based state, leading in innovation investment, with a strong focus on commercialising our cutting-edge R&D, building up our research infrastructure and boosting our knowledge and skills base. However, as we are facing increasing challenges from international competition, the key to a sustainable future for all Victorians and for Australia is to support and encourage innovation across our entire economy.

Innovation is a much broader concept than science and R&D and we will continue to drive Victoria’s future by investing in cultural, creative, technical and intellectual infrastructure, building the kind of environment in which ideas, creativity and innovation flourish. Working together through networks that connect ideas and people is central to building a smart, creative, internationally competitive economy that will deliver more high skilled jobs and secure our long-term quality of life.

That is why we are pleased to sponsor the InnoFuture 08 conference, with its focus on encouraging innovation through collaboration, information sharing and mutual support. 

Gavin Jennings MLC, Victorian Minister for Innovation
 

Innovation 2008: InnoFuture 2008

Building Innovation Capacity for the Global Knowledge Economy

InnoFuture is an important forum for managers and thinkers across entire organisations. It was developed in response to the growing need for practical, accountable tools and answers to aid in fast tracking innovation which now depends on the integration of social, economic and environmental objectives in the global context.

In the era of global competition and commoditisation in all industry sectors, business-model innovation is the sustainable way forward. Innovation is an emerging business discipline and it already provides companies that embraced it with fantastic returns. InnoFuture 2008 will present a holistic way of thinking about innovation. It brings together latest models, systems and strategies to create and manage highly competitive and innovative organisations and people. InnoFuture is an inspirational business event designed to take innovation knowledge to the next level of competitiveness. It is about knowledge transfer for businesses and organisations.

For conference dates, location and cost please see the www.innofuture.com.au. Contact: Roxanne Medel, P: (61 3) 8647 5122 F: (61 3) 8647 5161, E: Roxanne.Medel@team.telstra.com.

More about InnoFuture 2008:

InnoFuture Features:
Global Masters of Innovation
Latest Innovation Models and Tools applied by world’s most innovative companies
Hottest Trends in Sustainable and Strategic Innovation
Innovation DNA analysed
Dedicated network of innovative companies and people

Hot Speakers - Global Masters of Innovation and Thought Leadership:
TOM WUJEC Autodesk, Alias (Canada), Return on Imagination
HUNTER LOVINS Natural Capitalism (USA), Drivers of Change
NATHAN SHEDROFF California College of the Arts (USA), Experience Design
ROB SCHADE Strategyn (USA), What Customers Want
MEHRDAD BAGHAI Alchemy Partners, Granularity of Growth
DR TERRY CUTLER National Innovation Review, Chair
DAVID THODEY Telstra, Technology and Innovation Helix
GIAN TARALLI Johnson & Johnson (Brazil), Energizing Innovative Culture

Welcome and special addresses:
PHIL BURGESS Telstra, Technology and the Innovation Helix
HON GAVIN JENNINGS Minister for Innovation, Victoria (invited)

WHEN: 9 - 10 September 2008
WHERE: The Sebel Albert Park, Melbourne, Australia

Info and registrations: www.innofuture.com.au

ENQUIRIES:
InnoFuture Conference Secretariat - Contact: Roxanne Medel, P: (61 3) 8647 5122 F: (61 3) 8647 5161, E: Roxanne.Medel@team.telstra.com

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Australiasian Industrial Research Group Winter Meeting

AUSTRALASIAN INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH GROUP

Winter Meeting at Parliament House, Canberra
27th - 28th August, 2008

“Australian Industrially Oriented R&D towards 2020”

Advance Notice

One important component of AIRG’s ongoing mission is to provide a strong link between the leaders of Australia’s Industrial R&D management and the Federal Government’s policy makers in Canberra. Therefore, our aim with the AIRG’s Winter Meeting each year is to facilitate a wide-ranging and open discussion of the major issues influencing business investment in R&D across Australia, and hence to engage in discussion regarding the ongoing and future competitiveness of Australian companies.

Once again, the AIRG is holding its mid-year meeting in the House of Representatives Alcove of New Parliament House in Canberra on 28th August, 2008. The theme of the winter meeting this year is “Australian Industrially Oriented R&D towards 2020”. This theme builds on key issues revealed at recent AIRG national conferences, but, perhaps more importantly, it has been designed to build and reflect on the outcomes of the current National Innovation Review, the findings of which are expected to be publicly available prior to the meeting.

Given this current and critical topic, we have been able to invite a very strong group of speakers to this winter meeting. They come from various Industrially-oriented Australian R&D providers and work in four critical Australian market segments - Minerals & Mining, Human Health & Biotechnology, Food & Agriculture and Manufacturing. They will speak - from the various viewpoints of research providers who work either within Industry, in Universities, or elsewhere in the Public sector. We anticipate that they will be able to provide us with a broad perspective regarding how they see their roles as R&D providers today and how these may evolve and/or change over the next decade with the prospect of future economic and market shifts.

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, has agreed to attend part of the meeting and he will address the group around mid-morning on the 28th. Minister Carr has advised us that he is also keen to hear our feedback and will enter into discussions with delegates at the meeting. We are expecting senior staff from his office and the Department to attend the full meeting.

Additionally, as in previous years, a pre-conference dinner meeting will be held at Rydges Hotel, Capital Hill on the evening of 27th August, 2008. As in past years, a number of opposition members of Parliament and Shadow Ministers have committed to attend. Following the change of government at last year’s federal election, we anticipate a most interesting interchange as we hear how policy and views of the alternative government representatives may have evolved over the past year.

We believe that this meeting will provide you with a great opportunity to gain insight into (and to add your weight to) the vision for the role of R&D and technology in Australia over the next decade. You will hear the views of a number of Australia’s leading companies and be able to discuss major issues with policy makers.

For further details and conference registration forms, contact the AIRG Office (Telephone 03 9439 0075 or e-mail airg@bigpond.net.au).

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Positions Vacant

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Natural Product Chemist)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Natural Product Chemist)
Faculty of Pharmacy
Reference No. 134143

The Faculty of Pharmacy has an established tradition of advanced herbal medicines research in Australia. The Faculty is undertaking specialized research in the role of Chinese herbal medicines in cancer and diabetes, and is subsequently seeking to appoint an outstanding postdoctoral researcher to study the preparation and standardization of selected herbal extracts and the isolation and identification of their active components. The phytochemical analysis provides the basis for further pharmacological, cell biological and molecular mechanisms of action of Chinese herbs in cancer and diabetes management.

The Herbal Medicines Research and Education Centre within the Faculty of Pharmacy covers a broad spectrum of medicinal and natural product chemistry, pharmacological and cell biological sciences and undertakes collaborative research projects in cancer management and diabetes with groups within the University, other national and international universities and research institutes, the herbal medicines industry and the profession.

The project is funded by the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Collaborative Centre in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The successful applicant will be working together with the collaborative partners to evaluate the effects of selected TCM herbs on cancer stem cells (CSC), immune function modulation and inflammation. It is intended that the successful applicant will work with established highly-skilled, multidisciplinary teams and will also contribute to innovative research programs.

The successful applicant must hold a PhD in an area of natural product chemistry, phytochemistry, or a related discipline. Research experience in biological areas, including tissue culture and in vitro biological assays, and an early career record of peer-reviewed publications would be highly desirable.

Information about the Faculty of Pharmacy and the herbal medicines Research and Education Centre may be obtained from the Faculty and University website: www.pharm.usyd.edu.au

The position is full-time fixed term for 12 months, subject satisfactory completion of a probation period for new appointees. There is the possibility of extension for a further 12 months, subject to funding and need. Membership of a University approved superannuation scheme is a condition of employment for new appointees.

Remuneration package: up to $76,754 - $82,389 pro rata (which includes a base salary Level A $64,858 - $69,620 p.a., leave loading and up to 17% employer’s contribution to superannuation).

For more information or to apply online, please visit http://positions.usyd.edu.au and search by reference number 134143. Specific enquiries about the role can be directed to Professor Basil Roufogalis, Dr George Li or Associate Professor Daniel Sze on (+61 2) 9351 2360. Enquiries about the recruitment process can be directed to Julie Small on (02) 9036 7870.

Closing Date: 6 August 2008

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