News Alerts

Applications selected for CRC assessment

Twelve applications for the 12th round of the Cooperative Research Centre program have been selected from 18 original proposals to go on to stage two of the selection process. The twelve applicants are required to provide details of one Project for each of their proposed Research Programs for peer review.

The successful applications are:

CRC for Integrated Engineering and Asset Management

• Future Biofuels CRC
• CRC for Remote Economic Participation
• Virtual Built Environment CRC
• CRC for By-product Utilisation
• Wound Management CRC
• CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction (COREX) 
•  Environmental Biotechnology CRC
• Vision CRC
• CRC for Advanced Composite Structures 
• CRC for Mental Illness 
• Cereal CR

Successful applications will be announced in mid-December.
More information is at www.crc.gov.au.

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Geraldton facility to support SKA bid

A new $4 million facility is to be built in Geraldton, WA, to support the Australia/ New Zealand bid to host the $2.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio-telescope.

The CSIRO Murchison Radio Observatory Support Facility will link researchers in Geraldton with the $80 million Pawsey High Performance Computing Centre for SKA Science to be built in Perth.

Up to 12 scientists will be employed at the Geraldton facility. It will be supported by the National Broadband Network, where the Geraldton to Perth link with additional capacity to accommodate the SKA has been named a national priority. The Geraldton facility will link the proposed SKA base at Boolardy Station in WA's Mid West and Perth.

The Geraldton facility is planned to be completed in 2011 with the design tender to be announced shortly. Meanwhile, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, has been in Washington and London promoting Australia's bid to host the SKA.

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Deakin University launches Indian research initiative

Victoria’s Deakin University has entered a $24 million academic partnership, the Deakin India Research Initiative (DIRI), with 45 Indian institutions and businesses.

Launching the Initiative, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Walker, said that it built on Deakin University’s expertise in in materials sciences, nanotechnology and biotechnology and on existing research partnerships with some of India’s leading companies, research institutes and universities. Professor Walker said that under the initiative, Deakin would collaborate with Indian companies, research institutions and universities to train PhD students in India.

"Through DIRI, PhD students will be enrolled at Deakin, but will conduct much of their research in India. By the end of this year, 25 Deakin PhD students will be enrolled through the DIRI, and over the next five years a total of 150 students will be supported through the program The students will have both Australian and Indian supervisors and will spend approximately six months in Australia working with their Deakin supervisors on critical experiments or gaining a broader, international understanding of their field of research."

The venture will initially focus on PhD projects in advanced materials, biotech and nanotech and this will be extended to also include metals and metallurgy and intelligent systems.

Each research project will run for three and a half years, with students spending more than two years in India and the remainder in Victoria working with Deakin supervisors. The Indian component would operate out of Deakin’s New Delhi office and students would be co-supervised by Deakin and its Indian partners.
Deakin’s Australian Laureate Fellow, Professor Peter Hodgson, one of the prime movers in the creation of DIRI said that the launch of DIRI is the culmination of many trips to India by Deakin researchers and representatives.

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee will assist withpromotion of DIRI and will also have a key role in shaping a new charitable fund that is part of the Initiative, which will support work on projects such as setting up water filtration plans and creating better sanitation programs.

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Victorian ICT companies supported in Silicon Valley

The Victorian Government has launched a program to support information and communication technology (ICT) and life sciences companies to establish in the Plug and Play Tech Centre in Silicon Valley, US.

The Plug and Play Tech Centre has over 150 technology start-up companies in the ICT and life sciences sectors covering a range of areas including Web 2.0, software (SaaS) systems, semiconductor and telecomm verticals. There are 25 country pavilions including Canada, Israel, China and Japan.

Under the initiative, known as Melbourne Australia Pavilion (MAP@Plug and Play USA) , six Victorian companies will receive a three-month lease on office ‘pods’ within the Centre’s Melbourne Australia Pavilion, paid for by the Victorian Government.

Minister for Information Communication Technology (ICT) John Lenders said that the program will offer ompanies the opportunity to network with large firms such as Yahoo, Microsoft, SAP, Nokia, Ebay and Google for mentoring, idea exchange and product development.

“This program will help Victoria’s innovative ICT and life sciences companies gain access to the US market and promote their products overseas,” he said.

The program is being run as a one-year pilot, with applications opening this month.

More information is at www.mmv.vic.gov.au/plugandplay

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Victoria extends funding for Victoria-California Stem Cell Alliance

The Victorian Government is providing $2 million to support Victorian researchers working in collaboration with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) on research into preventing rejection from stem cell-derived cell and tissue grafts.

The CIRM is headed by Victorian expatriate scientist, Dr Alan Trounson. Victoria entered into the Victoria-California Stem Cell Alliance in 2008 as CIRM’s first international partner. The new funding is in addition to $28.7 million announced in May this year that will fund joint stem cell research between Victorian scientists and Californians over the next three years.

The Victorian Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings said the additional funding will focus on research into Stem Cell Transplantation Immunology which is aimed at ensuring human immune tolerance of stem cell derived cell and tissue grafts, such as skin, bone and organ tissue. It will support the Victorian scientists taking part in joint research projects and CIRM will support the Californians.

Applications for the Victoria-CIRM Stem Cell Transplantation Immunology research grants will open in November 2009. For more information, contact Roland Diggens on roland.diggens@diird.vic.gov.au or 03 9651 3102.

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Conferences & Events

32nd ATSE National Symposium - Future Proofing Australia Rising to the challenge of Climate Change

Future Proofing Australia
Rising to the challenge of Climate Change

32nd ATSE National Symposium,
Sofitel Brisbane Grand Central, 16 - 17 November 2009

The Academy’s 2009 National Symposium in Brisbane will address one of the most important topics our nation faces.

Governments are introducing policies and targets aimed at substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting the targets that are being debated will raise daunting challenges. Global opportunities and benefits can follow if we first develop the capabilities, policies and industries to future-proof our nation.

This timely Symposium will focus on a crucial issue; the practical potential of current and future low emission technologies, land management and abatement strategies to enable us to meet these targets.

The Symposium will draw on the experience and insights of eminent industry leaders and researchers from the UK, USA, Europe, Asia and South Africa in addition to Australia’s leading experts.

Key speakers include:

• Dr John Loughhead, Executive Director, UK Energy Research Centre
• Dr Zhengrong Shi, CEO and Chairman, Suntech Power Holdings Co Ltd, China
• Dr Adi Paterson, Chief Executive Officer, ANSTO
• Dr Peter Cook, Chief Executive, CO2CRC

The ATSE Symposium will be of particular interest to key industry stakeholders, researchers, decision makers from government departments and the broad range of professionals contemplating new business in the carbon area.

REGISTRATIONS CLOSING SOON – ACT NOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE

For further program or registration details contact
Rebecca Bone on 03 9864 0908 or events@atse.org.au or visit our website www.atse.org.au

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering

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Further Education

Master of R&D Management

The ATN e-Grad School’s new online Master of R&D Management (MRDM) aims at meeting the growing demand for quality professional development in the research management area. Launched in Semester 1, 2009 across the ATN universities - Curtin University, RMIT, UniSA, UTS and QUT, the MRDM provides support and training for R&D leaders, research managers, research administrators and active researchers in corporations and public sector R&D organisations to gain the skills and capabilities required to support research business in their organisations.

The course materials provide support in developing international research opportunities, industry collaboration and team-based interdisciplinary approaches. Units include project management, leadership and workplace communication, entrepreneurial foundations, principles and practice of R&D management, managing research careers, knowledge transfer and research commercialisation and the capstone, a workplace based project of one or two semesters.

The MRDM allows a range of entry and exit points (Graduate Diploma, Graduate Certificate) for professional development in commercialisation and R&D management. The embedded Graduate Certificate in Research Commercialisation was awarded preferred provider status, after a national search by the Cooperative Research Centres Association, in February 2008.

The online format of the Masters program acknowledges that participants need flexible access to materials which are complemented by videoconferencing sessions with expert guest speakers. The global reach of the program covers, in addition to the 5 ATN universities, students from 24 universities and other institutions including University of Western Australia, University of Melbourne, Australian National University, Monash University, University of Western Sydney, James Cook University, Swinburne University, Edith Cowan University, Ballarat University, Victoria University, University of Canberra, La Trobe University, The University of Queensland, CRC for Oral Health, Auto CRC, Polymers CRC, Phylogica & Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Heart Foundation, Academic Radiation Oncology, The University of Manchester, Daejin University, Korea.

For further information contact:
Email: egsacoordinator@qut.edu.au
Website: www.egradschool.edu.au

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Positions Vacant

Project Managers

• Rural R&D
• Customer Focus
• Relationship Management
• Defined Career Opportunities

Acknowledged as a worldwide leader in linking innovative research with industry and community needs, our client’s primary business activity is the allocation and management of investments in agricultural R&D. The organisation encourages strong team work which in turn leads to the maximisation of customer satisfaction.

Both roles require the management of all aspects of a group of related projects and the contribution to the general direction of the business portfolio. In one position, the emphasis is on gene discovery and/or germplasm enhancement and in the second position, the emphasis is on wheat and barley breeding and oilseeds, pulses and summer crops.

THE ROLES

• Assist with the development of strategy for the business group and the structure and focus of its pre-breeding or plant breeding programs in addition to building business cases for implementation
• Engage with stakeholders and research providers regarding R&D priorities and the development of R&D strategies
• Recommend an investment strategy and R&D expenditure for pre-breeding or plant breeding investments
• Manage the progress of contracted R&D projects to ensure that the delivery of research outcomes is on time and within budget

THE REQUIREMENTS

• Technical/research background with a strong appreciation of relationship management with researchers and the delivery of R&D outcomes
• Good appreciation of agricultural production systems together with either a sound knowledge of biotechnology/molecular biology or experience in the commercial seed/plant breeding sector and an appreciation of new product commercialisation
• Ability to network and liaise with industry and scientists in addition to being able to influence and motivate people
• Degree in science, agricultural/rural science or equivalent – postgraduate qualifications highly regarded

Our client aims to attract top talent who can take initiative and deliver results. As such an attractive remuneration package plus performance pay is on offer.

Contact Stephen Penhall in confidence or fax, mail or email your application, quoting Reference No PG10N03 to:

Stelle International Pty Ltd
PO Box 3871 Manuka ACT 2603 Australia
Telephone: (02) 6299 9221 / Fax: (02) 6299 9224
Email: Stephen@stelleinternational.com.au
Web: www.stelleinternational.com.au

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Publications

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