News Alerts

Carr moves on research and innovation policy reform

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, has moved quickly to reform Australia’s research and innovation system, announcing several key initiatives over the past fortnight including the creation of an independent Advisory Council to the Australian Research Council, the development of new charters to protect the integrity and independence of public research institutions and individual researchers, and reviews of the innovation system and the Cooperative Research Centre program.

A review of Australia’s national innovation system will be conducted by an expert panel chaired by Dr Terry Cutler. Dr Cutler is a currently director of CSIRO and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries, and is a former Chair of the Industry Research and Development Board.

Senator Carr said that Australia needs to find ways to increase its innovation performance across the economy, to ensure that business has better access to new ideas and new technologies and to bridge the divide between industry and research.

He said that the review would examine what he described as “the bewildering array of government innovation and industry assistance programs”.

“At last count there were 169 programs in Australia, across all levels of government, aimed at supporting innovation,” he said.

The Panel is to consult nationally and provide a 'Green Paper' to the Government detailing policy options by 31 July 2008. The Green Paper will be released for public comment and used as the basis for the development of a Government 'White Paper'.

Members of the review panel are:
• Dr Megan Clark (Vice President Technology, BHP Billiton);
• Professor Glyn Davis (Vice Chancellor, University of Melbourne);
• Professor Steve Dowrick (School of Economics, Australian National University);
• Dr Nicholas Gruen (CEO, Lateral Economics);
• Ms Narelle Kennedy (Chief Executive, Australian Business Foundation);
• Ms Catherine Livingstone (former Chair of CSIRO and Director, Macquarie Bank and Telstra); and
• Dr Jim Peacock (ex-officio, the Commonwealth Chief Scientist).

Under its terms of reference, the review will:
• Identify a set of principles to underpin the role and participation of the public sector in innovation.
• Develop a set of national innovation priorities to complement the national research priorities, ensuring the objectives of research programs and other innovation initiatives are complementary.
• Identify regulatory and other barriers to innovation and recommend ways to minimise these.
• Examine the scope for simplifying and reducing program duplication and ensuring that any support provided is well-targeted and easy to access.
• Consider the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Research and Development (R&D) Tax Concession Scheme in promoting innovation and make recommendations to improve innovation outcomes.
• Consider ways to improve the governance of the national innovation system to support higher expectations of government agencies and industry.
• Assess the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program and make recommendations to improve innovation outcomes.

For more information on the review, visit www.innovation.gov.au/innovationreview

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Review of CRC program

The Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program will be reviewed as part of the broader review of the national innovation system.

The review will examine the overall strategic direction of CRCs, as well as a range of issues including governance and program design issues, the level and length of funding needed to support the program's objectives, as well as its overall scope and effectiveness.

The CRC Program review will be chaired by Professor Mary O’Kane, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Adelaide, and its outcome will form part of the Innovation’s Review’s green paper, to be submitted to government by July this year as the basis for a white paper.

The Minister for for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, said the next CRC selection round will be held after the Government has considered the outcomes of the Review of the National Innovation System, and the government intends to complete the selection process by the middle of 2009.

“I have asked my department to liaise with CRCs about the review and to put in place a process to manage the impacts of a delayed selection round,” Senator Carr said.

More information is at www.innovation.gov.au/innovationreview

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Independent ARC Council appointed

An ARC Advisory Council has been established as the first stage of Labor’s election promise to restore independence to the Australian Research Council (ARC).

The Advisory Council will provide advice to the ARC's Chief Executive Officer, Professor Margaret Sheil, on key research issues.

Senator Carr said that the Advisory Council, to be chaired by Professor Sheil, will provide her with non-binding strategic and policy advice on strategic issues relating to the mission of the ARC; policy matters relating to innovation, research and research training; and matters relating to the evaluation of the quality and outcomes of research and research training in an international context.

He said that research is "not a political plaything to be toyed with at the whim of the Government”.

“Research is a matter of vital national importance, the outcomes of which have a significant impact on Australia’s ongoing prosperity and standing in the world. It is our responsibility to seek and respect the views of those individuals most able to provide valuable insight into the issues faced by researchers and shape an environment that will deliver the best possible results for all Australians.”

Council members, who have each been appointed for up to three years, are:
• Professor Terry Hughes, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University;
• Dr Elizabeth Jazwinska, Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd;
• Professor Stuart Macintyre, Ernst Scott Professor of History, The University of Melbourne;
• Professor John Ralston, Director, Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia;
• Professor Margaret Seares AO, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of Western Australia; and
• Professor Arun Sharma, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research/Commercialisation), Queensland University of Technology.

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Charter to grant independence and freedom of speech to public research agencies

New charters are to be developed for public research agencies including CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Australian Nuclear and Science Technology Organisation (ANSTO) to protect the rights and independence of the agencies and their researchers.

Announcing the charters, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, said that it was essential that public debate on critical social, environmental and economic issues be well informed with the best research and new knowledge.

“Public debate must be as well informed as possible and those who have expertise in the areas under debate must be able to contribute. This means that researchers working in our universities and public research agencies must be -- and must be allowed to be -- active participants in such debates.

“We need to reinvigorate the concept of the public intellectual. We need to ensure that public communication is as important as professional discourse,” Senator Carr said.

He said that public concern and questioning from the Labor Party at Senate Estimates hearings about the gagging of its scientists led the CSIRO in 2006 to review its then-restrictive policy on public comment by CSIRO staff. As a result, CSIRO scientists are now “encouraged to communicate the outcomes and implications of their scientific research and, where relevant, policy options and scenarios stemming from their scientific findings.''

However, Senator Carr said he wanted to go further than this and do away with any contractual constraints on the public research sector to criticize government policy without fear of losing public funding.

He said the Rudd Government was committed to creating a charter akin to that of the ABC for public research agencies, which would identify and guarantee the responsibilities and obligations of each organization, and would enshrine not only the right, but the obligation, of scientists and other researchers to participate in public research debates.

Principles to guide such a policy will include:

Encouragement of debate on scientific and other research issues of public interest.

Support for the independence and integrity of public research agencies.
Recognition that the Government remains responsible for the articulation, formulation and implementation of government policy.
Support for the open communication, dissemination of information and debate about the results of scientific, technical and social research.
Recognition that researchers are encouraged to engage in such communication and debate.

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Seven project win SA Premier’s Science and Research Funds

The South Australian Government has announced seven recipients of awards under the 2007 Premier’s Science and Research Funds program.

The program has been boosted by $1.2 million, taking the total to almost $5 million for the year.

Science Minister, Paul Caica, said the selected projects had a particular focus on the defence and advanced manufacturing sectors and on innovations in the development of renewable energy.

The successful research projects include:
• High-powered lasers for use in critical defence applications. Led by Professors Jesper Munch and Tanya Monro at the University of Adelaide. State Government investment:$1.5 million;
• The SA Networking Laboratory, to provide new communications technologies to the Australian defence industry. SANLAB will provide experimentation facilities and research expertise for the development of Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, an emerging communication technology that holds great promise for the Australian Defence Forces. Led by Professor Michael Rumsewicz at the University of Adelaide in conjunction with UniSA. State Government investment: $900,000;
• The establishment of an entirely new advanced manufacturing capability in SA - based on micro-cavity plasma discharges for surface engineering - to provide a new generation of products and service opportunities across industry sectors. Led by Professor Rob Short from the University of South Australia. State Government investment: $910,083;
• A Regional Sustainability Centre at UniSA’s Whyalla campus to support the use of environmentally sustainable approaches in the State’s Upper Spencer Gulf, with a particular focus on the expanding mining industry. This includes energy, water and other infrastructure such as solar-based water desalination and support for the world’s first solar thermal, base-load demonstration project, Whyalla’s ‘Big Dish’. Led by Professor Wasim Saman from the University of South Australia. State Government investment: $660,000;
• A product development centre to develop leading-edge medical devices and bring them to the market. Led by Associate Professor Karen Reynolds from the Flinders University and forming part of the Medical Device Partnering Program. State investment: $565,000.
• Smart sensors to provide a new generation of smart packaging, with the capacity to identify the contents of a package and monitor its environment. Led by Dr Braden Phillips at the University of Adelaide. State Government investment: $307,372.
• Seed funding will also be offered to commence a project that has the potential to assist the development of SA’s new biodiesel industry. The project, led by Doctors Stephen Clarke from Flinders University and Sasi Nayar from SARDI, involves the use of intercepted saline water from the River Murray to produce an oil feedstock. State investment $75,514.

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Queensland to assess tropical expertise

The Queensland government has commissioned a new study to investigate the potential expansion of the Far North’s tropical expertise sector.

Tourism, Regional Development and Industry Minister Desley Boyle, also the Member for Cairns, today announced the State Government had commissioned an independent study into the region’s growing tropical expertise sector.

The independent study, to be conducted by AEC Consulting Group, will provide an overall economic picture of the region’s tropical expertise sector and will identify:
• all businesses, research and educational institutions with tropical expertise;
• how many people are employed across the sector;
• its value;
• markets and;
• the number of exporters and the products and services being exported.

A Steering Committee of key stakeholders, including James Cook University, the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries and the private sector, will provide oversight, advice and support to the AEC Group for the study.

The AEC study is part of a major Queensland Government push to establish six regions across the State as Centres of Enterprise, based on each region’s industry strength. In Cairns and Far North Queensland, the focus is on tropical expertise, aviation and the marine industry.

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WA assesses new technology hub

The Western Australian government is investigating the possible development of the Mandurah and Peel region as the state’s next technology hub. A survey has identified that a significant number of technology-based businesses are located in the region, and funding has been provided for a feasibility study to identify how the technology sector might be further stimulated.

Industry and Enterprise Minister Francis Logan said his aim was to ensure WA had a sustainable economy after the resources boom, and he saw the Mandura and Peel region taking a lead role.

“I see the region becoming the home of a technology-driven hub of like-minded industry, with the Peel Learning Precinct - WA’s first co-located school, TAFE and University campus - providing a great foundation for this location.

“The results of the feasibility study will help us determine if establishing a technology hub within this precinct will have economic and social benefits.

“The data collected will allow organisations, such as the Peel Development Commission, the City of Mandurah, the Department of Industry and Resources, the Small Business Centre and the Peel Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to identify and provide appropriate services and infrastructure to help local businesses grow and remain healthy.”

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UniSa to set up Microfluidics and Nano-Fabrication Facility

The University of South Australia’s Ian Wark Research Institute will establish a Microfluidics and Nano-Fabrication Facility with funding support from the state and federal governments.

The South Australian Government is providing $2 million, to be matched by the Federal Government under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). UniSA is matching the public funding with a $4 million investment, bringing the total investment to $8 million

As an emerging field, microfluidics applies tiny volumes of fluid for areas of scientific investigation including the separation of minerals at a molecular level.

Microchips will be designed and manufactured at the new facility, which can be applied to a wide range of chemical, biological and clinical applications. The State funding will be used to purchase equipment for research into mineral processing and the manufacture of optical and lithographic products and electronic circuitry.

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NSW inquiry into nanotechnology

The NSW Government has initiated a parliamentary inquiry into the potential risks and benefits associated with nanotechnology.

Minister for Science and Medical Research Verity Firth said nanotechnology has the
very real potential to transform many sectors of the NSW economy, leading to new
products, new businesses, new jobs and even new industries. However, she said, before the technology’s full potential can be released, safety and ethical
concerns need to be assessed by governments.

The inquiry will be conducted by the Legislative Council's Standing Committee for State
Development and it will investigate the potential environmental, health, safety, legal
and ethical implications or uncertainties that may arise from the development and
use of nano-material and products.

“As the use of man-made nano-materials become more common, we want to make
sure they will not have unexpected consequences for people or the environment.
“The inquiry will seek to reassure the community as well as make sure the
Government’s regulatory arrangements are both adequate and appropriate.

“Ultimately we want a balanced and informed approach to nanotechnology,” Ms Firth said.

“While the NSW Government is already cooperating with the Commonwealth
Government on the development of a National Nanotechnology Strategy, the inquiry
I’m announcing today will help ensure our State is well positioned to benefit in a way
that is safe, responsible and ethical.”

“What’s more, a number of national and international organisations are also working
to define protocols and guidelines for the use of nanotechnology, including
Standards Australia, NanoSafe, the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and
the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).”

The NSW Government has recently provided $4 million for nanotechnology R&D.
The parliamentary inquiry’s final report is due by the end of October next year.

Under its terms of reference, the inquiry into nanotechnology in NSW will examine and report on:
• Current and future applications of nanotechnology in the NSW community and industry;
• The health, safety and environmental risks and benefits;
• Appropriateness of the current regulatory frameworks in operation nationally and in NSW
for management of nanomaterials over their lifecycle;
• Education and skills development related to nanotechnology;
• Adequacy of the National Nanotechnology Strategy in the NSW context;
• Community understanding of nanotechnology, and possible public awareness and
engagement options.

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News Alerts

Announcements

Research Funding

News Alerts

Carr moves on research and innovation policy reform

Review of CRC program

Independent ARC Council appointed

Charter to grant independence and freedom of speech to public research agencies

Seven project win SA Premier’s Science and Research Funds

Queensland to assess tropical expertise

WA assesses new technology hub

UniSa to set up Microfluidics and Nano-Fabrication Facility

NSW inquiry into nanotechnology

Announcements

2008 Clinical Research in Oncology

Research Funding

International Science Linkages - Competitive Grants