News from Dr Simon McKirdy

CRC bid is successful

2011-11-23T11:56:00.004+11:00

For those that have not already heard our efforts to continue the CRC for another six years has been successful.

We received the much awaiting phone call yesterday morning and it was confirmed that we would receive funding for six more years and 93% of the total cash we sought would be provided.

Being successful has taken two years and the input of many people. Now we have six months to pull together the program and finalise the signing of agreements.

I have received countless emails congratulating us on the successful bid. There is too many to respond to individually. Hopefully this blog will be read by all and I thank everyone for their kind words and look forward to catching up over the coming months as we prepare for the 1 July start.

Simon

Interview completed

2011-11-08T08:51:00.007+11:00

Yesterday the team completed the next stage of the bidding process by completing the two hour interview.

It started with a 30 minute powerpoint (presented by John Lovett and myself) and was followed by 90 minutes of questions from a panel.

The panel comprised three members of the CRC Committee plus two technical experts. There was also a number of observers from DIISR. The questioning covered the content of our research programs including some detailed questions on two of our exemplars. The relationship with the new National Biosecurity Flagship was addressed in some detail and there was several questions in relation to the legacy of the CRC after six years.

The team performed well with everyone getting to respond to at least one question. In addition to John and I, the team members were Martin Barlass, Paul De Barro, Jon Durham, Andrew Inglis, Bill Roberts, Shashi Sharma, Alison Stewart and Ruth Wallace. The last week has been busy for the whole team in preparing for the interview and I thank them for their committment to the CRC.

I would also like to thank many other people who have contributed to the bidding process over the last 12 months.

The decision should be announced before Christmas and if it is similar to last year we may hear in the first week of December. We have done as much as possible to be successful this year and given the commitment from our participants across industry, government and academia, the level of cash committed and our international reach we should be optimistic.

Projects submitted

2011-09-15T14:46:00.004+10:00

The next stage of the bid process was completed at lunchtime today. We submitted the four exemplar projects. The exemplars provide the CRC program with research proposals that illustrate the high level of research that will be undertaken and the calibre of researchers and organisations involved in the bid.

The four projects cover severe weather events and the role they play in spreading pests (early warning), improved bacterial diagnostics (better detection), a new non chemical alternative for killing insects in grain (safeguarding trade) and improved community engagement (secure future).

It has been a hectic two weeks getting these completed and polished ready for submission with each project allowed to only cover five pages (project text) plus refs and cvs. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to the process.

Next step is the interview (7-9 Nov). We still have not heard the exact date. The core team has started preparing the ppt for interview.

Progression to interview

2011-09-01T13:39:00.004+10:00

After a tense two months we have finally been informed today that our bid has progressed to the next and final stage. The competition as usual has been strong and only 10 of the 26 applications submitted have made it to the interview stage. A formal letter will be sent to us in the coming days giving further detail of the interview date which will occur between 7-9 November in Canberra.

In the next two weeks we will need to finalise and submit the four exemplar projects which the program team have been working on.

I remain optimistic that we have a very strong bid that will hopefully get us to the winning post.

rebid submitted

2011-06-30T14:01:00.003+10:00

After a busy week we hit the submit button at 1:55pm today. The core team are very happy with the flavour of the final bid. We believe it has a more compelling case than in 2010.

We will hear at the end of August if we have made it through to stage 2.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to complete the submission.

Simon

Rebid almost due for submission

2011-06-08T16:14:00.004+10:00

The countdown to submission of the rebid is now in the final month. Our target is to submit on 30 June and we are confident this will be achieved.

The Participant Committee met yesterday in Melbourne and were provided with an update of progress. The support continues to be strong and the approach being taken was endorsed. Some useful comments were made on the text and these will be incorporated as we complete the full proposal. I would like to thank those that attended yesterday for their contributions and continued support. As of today we have received the majority of participant declarations and are hopeful of received the remaining few including DAFF by 15 June.

The Board will meet next week in NSW and the bid draft will be tabled for their comment and endorsement.

Compiling a bid is a very time consuming process and it would not be achieved without the input from many people. The core team of John, Martin, Max, Bill, Nick and myself appreciate the efforts made by others in assisting us with the process.

Our innovative research is rewarded

2011-05-31T14:59:00.000+10:00

On Wednesday 18 May our CRC was awarded an innovation excellence prize by the CRC association. The award is determined by a panel of innovation experts. With 42 CRCs currently funded it is feather in our cap to receive the award.

The award was given to our digital diagnostics project led by Gary Kong. The dedication of Gary and his team has led to the delivery and adoption of innovative research that has made a real contribution to Australia's plant biosecurity system.

While the team involved was large I would particularly like to acknowledge the considerable contribution made by Michael Thompson to the project.

The project involved the following organisations; CSIRO, the Queensland Government (DEEDI), the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Museum Victoria, Plant Health Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Chevron, Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry New Zealand, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and the Department of Agriculture Thailand. The project has also been well supported by the US Department of Agriculture.

Let’s hope the re-bid is successful as there is still a lot that can be done to build a truly international digital diagnostic system.

The video produced for the awards night is available on our website.

budget implications for the re-bid

2011-05-11T14:49:00.006+10:00

Last night was the release of the 2011/12 federal budget. Prior to its release I was concerned that two outcomes could have a big impact on our bid.

The first concern was that the government would decrease its contribution to industry R&D levies. It was positive to hear that this did not eventuate.

Unfortunately the second concern did eventuate with the government removing funds from the CRC program. The impact on our re-bid is that the competition will increase as the total pool of available funds will decrease this year. As stated by Tony Peacock today, this may mean that there is one less CRC funded in this round. Tony further stated in his press release that 10 years ago the CRC program was 50% of the size of the NHMRC and yet now the CRC program will be just 10%. It is dissapointing that a very valuable Australian asset is losing the political support it deserves.

It is still all go with the bid and the outcomes have solidified our efforts to make sure we submit a very strong bid. With the strong resource committment from our participants and the multi-plant industry focus of our bid we should have a strong case for funding.

Re-bid progress is positive

2011-05-05T14:36:00.006+10:00

Success in a CRC round is a very competitive challenge but the Core Team are optimistic that we will submit a proposal with a good chance of success.

The committment of resources to the bid is stronger than Round 13 with new participants committed. Our colleagues in NZ have now joined our ranks with Plant and Food Research and Lincoln University committing to the bid. Formalising the linkages will strengthen the bid and I look forward to building further research collaborations with our fellow ANZACs.

Over the last couple of weeks we have had discussions with CSIRO and linked the new Biosecurity Flagship proposal with the CRC. This is a win-win with the CRC bid providing a solid platform on which to build components of the flagship and the flagship will be a key component of the legacy of our CRC.

Participants have been requested to provide letters of committment to the CRC by May 20. By this stage we will have a full draft of the Impact Tool and be well into drafting the bid document. By early June we will be distributing a full draft for comment by participants. With a submission date of 1 July the clock is well and truly ticking. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to date by providing useful input to the process.

From now through to December there will be several key dates when we will be able to ascertain our likelihood of success. The first is next Tuesday when the federal budget is released. Fingers crossed there will be a positive outcome and the government will not make any signficant cuts to research and innovation and the very successful CRC program will continue with at least its current level of funding.

Last weekend I was fortunate to be able to visit the Ord region in WA with Jim Stack from Kansas State University. Kununurra is the town in the centre of the Ord region and it is a unique venue to see biosecurity in action. From the border checkpoint that operates 24 hours a day and checks every vehicle entering the state through to the individual farm measures the community has developed a unique regional biosecurity plan. Our tour guide for the weekend was Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Lachlan Dobson.

Bid development

2011-04-01T10:55:00.006+11:00

The last two weeks have been very focussed on developing our round 14 bid. Key to the development of the bid is addressing the feedback received after round 13.

At the beginning of this week the Participants Taskforce and the Science Taskforce both met to review the proposed program structure and themes within each program. The agreed program structure has now been circulated to all participants. I recommend that any interested researcher contacts their CRC rep to obtain a copy of the structure. The structure for this bid will be much simpler with just four programs. Education and training and delivery and adoption will occur within each of the four programs. The four programs are 'early warning', 'effective detection', 'response' and 'building the future'.

The taskforce also discussed the major challenge statement for the CRC. This is an essential part of the bid and must clearly articulate what the CRC will do. The draft major challenge is currently worded as 'To develop and deliver the knowledge and tools to support the community, governments and industry in safeguarding Australia’s plant industries and the environment from damaging pests and diseases'.

We continue to have strong committment from our participants which highlights the importance of maintaining the research capacity that the CRC represents.

The latest thoughts from the CEO

2011-03-15T11:45:00.001+11:00

It has been a while since my last contribution to this blog. I have not been able to get my mind fully around this concept but hopefully I can remember to write something of value as each fortnight passes. Since the last blog we have had the bad news of an unsuccessful re-bid but this has quickly passed and our efforts are focused on developing a bid for the next round (Round 14).

After gaining strong support from the Participants at their recent meeting and the Board, the CRCNPB is hopeful this year’s re-bid will be successful.

Over the coming months our focus for the re-bid will be on addressing the areas for improvement identified by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research (DIISR); developing the research programs - taking into consideration the research priorities of end-users; and securing letters of intent from potential participants.

We have recently completed another successful Science Exchange. As I reflect on the event, I would like to congratulate the staff of the CRC, and in particular Kate Scott, for running another fantastic event. The positive feedback I continue to receive about these events is a credit to the team for the time and effort put in to ensure they run smoothly.

As I write I am preparing for a week’s leave. This leave will be focused on preparing the ground for my next planting of 2000 eucalyptus.

Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Award

2010-09-24T11:43:00.002+10:00

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Lachlan Dobson from the Ord River Irrigation Area for winning the Biosecurity Farmer of the Year Award in the plant category at the Farming Ahead Conference this week.

The CRC were pleased to nominate Lachlan for this award as he continually demonstrates strong commitment to biosecurity across the properties he manages, as well as in the community. Lachlan is keen to educate people and raise awareness about the importance of biosecurity and was involved in developing the OrdGuard Regional Biosecurity Plan (the first of its type in Australia and the world).

Among other tactics to raise awareness of biosecurity, Lachlan also provides industry supervision for two of our PhD students. He is also the first non-academic supervisor of a PhD project appointed by Charles Darwin University.

I would also like to acknowledge Plant Health Australia for sponsoring this very worthwhile award which recognises the key role Australian farmers play in maintaining disease and pest free produce, in turn enhancing Australia’s trading position.

Off to interview…

2010-08-27T08:07:00.002+10:00

Late yesterday afternoon I received a call from the CRC Program to say we have been successful in progressing to Stage 2 of the 13th CRC Selection Round. This will involve submission of our project plans for each program (which are well underway) and other documentation on 9 September. We will now start preparing for the formal interview which will be held in Canberra on the week beginning 8 November. Successful applicants are expected to be announced in December.

This is a great outcome and the result of hard work and support from many people and organisations. I’m sure you will all join me in celebrating this achievement.

I will keep you updated with the progress.

2010-08-13T08:51:00.002+10:00

It’s great to see agriculture policies being put on the table for the upcoming election, although perhaps not taking the limelight as many other policy areas. Food security, quality, environmental sustainability and product affordability all have one thing in common – research. Keeping our agricultural sectors free of pests and disease which reduce productivity and harm export markets is the linchpin to Australia’s economical future. Whichever party is successful at the polls, I hope they will continue to see the importance of investment in agricultural R&D activities. If you’re interested in reading more about these proposed policies, they are online at www.alp.org.au and www.liberal.org.au

GrainCorp-AWB merger

2010-08-11T15:58:00.008+10:00

There continues to be significant change within Australia's grain industry, not the least of which is the recently announced merger between GrainCorp and AWB. GrainCorp's newly-appointed CEO, Ms Alison Watkins, will have the role of consolidating GrainCorp's position and the CRCNPB wishes her every success in this endeavour.

In collaboration with GrainCorp and other members of Australia's grain industry, CRCNPB has established a cutting edge research program for stored grains. A specific focus of this collaboration is on resistance to phosphine in stored grain insect pests, with projects reviewing phosphine application techniques to improve effectiveness, developing new fumigation protocols in response to identified resistant insect populations, and research to identify genetic resistance mechanisms.

Other collaborative projects include the review of sampling processes used to test for contaminants and work on a biosensor, which attempts to mimic the way stored grain insects locate each other in order to identify the presence of insects in storages.

Along with the commercial and economic imperatives faced by GrainCorp, biosecurity issues such as crop yields, product integrity and pest and disease freedom to retain market access, remain a real risk to the industry and we look forward to continuing to work with GrainCorp and other industry sectors in addressing these threats.

Citrus industry squeeze biosecurity issues

2010-07-29T17:13:00.001+10:00

The Prime Minister recently announced the federal election will be held on 21 August. With less than a month until polling day, all parties are actively campaigning to the Australian community; fervently promoting policies their prospective party will administer if successful at the booths. Throughout the next few weeks, Citrus Australia will also be undertaking a lobbying effort targeting issues that affect the sustainability of their industry. In a Citrus Australia media release circulated last Tuesday, they have listed quarantine and biosecurity as critical to the sustainability of their industry. Key biosecurity points are:

Commit to improving biosecurity and quarantine systems that increase the competitiveness and ensure the ongoing viability of the Australian citrus industry.
Support increased training and surveillance for exotic and endemic pests.
Support increased awareness and education.
Support information and analysis obtained from pre-border, border and post-border biosecurity activities be made available for use by state and territory governments, industry and research organisations.
Enhance government funding for activities which support biosecurity related technical market access.
Support the implementation of the national fruit fly strategy.

Biosecurity is a critical issue for the citrus industry if they are to sustain their market access. A number of our fruit fly projects are co-funded by Horticulture Australia. These projects will provide benefits for the citrus industry, such as improved lures for trapping fruit flies, as well as a dynamic trapping system which will provide more cost-effective surveillance of fruit fly.

Through our current activities and future research (if our rebid is successful), we will continue to provide innovative R&D solutions which will enable the citrus industry to remain healthy and competitive in the market.

A copy of the Citrus Australia media release is available on their website.

Re-bid submitted

2010-07-22T08:06:00.001+10:00

On 1 July 2010 our bid for an extension of eight years operating as the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre was submitted. As discussed in my column in the latest Leaflet, the Plant Biosecurity CRC will comprise of a mix of new and existing Participants from government departments, universities, grain companies, industry representative organisations, research organisations as well as international organisations who have a strong plant biosecurity focus.

This significant milestone could not be reached without the support of our Participants who recognise the need and demand for strong scientific research to underpin Australia’s plant biosecurity system. We also could not have achieved this without the skills and expertise of everyone who helped put together a strong and robust science program. I believe we have submitted a very strong bid which is now in the hands of the CRC Program Committee.
The Program Leaders for the new Plant Biosecurity CRC met last week to workshop ideas for a project for each program and to start building these ideas into a comprehensive project plan. We are required to have a full project developed for each program. (The Program Leaders and programs were announced in my column in the latest edition of The Leaflet – click here if you haven’t received your copy).

In mid-to-late August, the CRC Program will announce the shortlisted interview applicants. If we are successful at this stage, we will continue to refine the projects which will be presented at the interview.

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the preparation of the bid. It has been very rewarding to see everyone come together sharing their ideas, skills and knowledge to build the programs and associated activities. I sincerely hope that I am able to share good news with you in August.

Anzacs and biosecurity

2010-04-23T12:00:00.003+10:00

As Anzac Day approaches, it’s important we take time to reflect on those who have fought and lost their lives for our country, and those who continue to be deployed on global operations – away from their families and loved ones. The commitment they demonstrate and sacrifices they make while protecting Australia and its national interests is something we should always remember and be proud of.

We should also recognise the important role the Australian Defence Force plays in safeguarding our plant industries through effective quarantine and biosecurity management. Overseas operations are a mammoth logistical effort for the ADF, with high numbers of troops deployed, as well as vehicles and equipment. Bringing this equipment and personnel back in to country requires the ADF to adhere to high-level biosecurity practices; something they take very seriously to reduce the risk of accidentally importing pests and diseases.

In the past, the ADF’s contribution to quarantine and biosecurity management has been acknowledged at the highest level by winning the following awards:

Joint Movement Control Office (JMCO) Darwin received the 2008 Public Sector Quarantine Award for its efforts in educating Defence personnel who were deploying overseas on operations and exercises, and putting in place screening and control measures to reduce the risk of quarantine breaches.

The 51st Far North Queensland Regiment won the 2004 National Quarantine Award for displaying a significant, long-term commitment and understanding of quarantine issues in Australia’s far north.

Army Captain, Kevin Hall won the 2000 National Quarantine Award for producing a 160 page procedure manual in his own time while on operations in East Timor. The manual detailed the procedure to thoroughly clean Army vehicles and equipment before returning to Australia to reduce the risk of exotic pests and diseases arriving in our country.

So while you’re playing two-up on Anzac Day or enjoying a gunfire breakfast, take the time to remember the sacrifices our ADF personnel have made and continue to make. It’s also fitting to acknowledge their commitment to Australia’s biosecurity system; especially considering the difficult circumstances they are deployed in and in regions which have high-risk plant pests and diseases, such as Ug99 in Afghanistan.

Re-bid update 21 April 2010

2010-04-21T10:16:00.000+10:00

Our re-bid is continuing to grow with many Participants having signed ‘in-principle’ forms to support the bid. You cannot have a cooperative research centre without Participants and the support for further plant biosecurity research across industry, government, universities, and other R&D corporations is encouraging.

The research programs are evolving each day with valued input from our Program Taskforce and Participants Taskforce, as well as key end-users of the proposed research outcomes.

Our Program Taskforce had a very productive face-to-face meeting last week to discuss the research programs and further refine them. The next draft of the programs will be circulated tomorrow to the Participants Taskforce for end-user comment. Similar to our existing CRC, the new CRC’s Participants will mostly be made up of end-users, which enables greater engagement and the opportunity to actively meet their needs.

May will be a busy month with two key meetings for the Participants of the proposed CRC. After these meetings it will be time to knuckle down and finalise the re-bid documentation (much of which is already being written and collated in the background).

There is considerable effort being shown by all involved, and I would like to thank everyone for their contributions in what is shaping up to be a very solid bid.

Re-bid draft program

2010-04-21T10:13:00.004+10:00

On Tuesday afternoon the latest draft of the re-bid program was circulated to all participants who have indicated an interest in being part of the CRC extension.

The Program Taskforce with input from the Participant Taskforce and Board have worked hard to develop the draft program.

To ensure we meet the tight timeline in developing the re-bid we have requested that all participants review the doucments and provide comment/feedback. This will be the last opportunity to get agreement on the future direction of the CRC as the remaining time will need to be dedicated to writing the re-bid proposal. We have requested all feedback/comment by 30 April to enable us to feed all responses into a new draft and then table at the 10 May Participant meeting. If you are a member of a potential participant I encourage you to read the documents and provide comment.

The programs are now titled as:

1. Driving Biosecurity Innovation - through impact and practice change

2. Managing Area Freedom - smarter diagnostics and surveillance tools

3. Securing Market Access - systems approach to product integrity

4. Strengthening Biosecurity Preparedness - pre-border, border and post-border

For each program outcomes, outputs and milestones are now drafted.

Re-bid

2010-03-09T16:00:00.005+11:00

The re-bid process is progressing at an increased speed with the participant taskforce and the science taskforce developing componets of the bid.

Over the next few days I will post key points from each of the programs currently being drafted. A revised program structure has also been developed that places delivery and adoption and social innovation as the first overlaying program rather than the last program. The three science programs as previously identfied will continue. The education and training program will now become part of each of the other programs and will no longer be a stand alone program. This is in line with the current CRC Guidelines.

Education and training: key outcomes proposed for this program include:

the creation of junior post doc positions, or equivalent
completion of at least 15 PhDs with scholarship terms of four years rather than the current three years
the development of a biosecurity community engagement model for indigenous communities, and
development of two-way relationships between researchers and different community groups.

The first draft of programs has been ciruclated to taskforce members this week with full distribution intended next week after comments are received.

Support for the re-bid continues to grow.

Regards

Simon

Global Biosecurity 2010

2010-03-09T11:48:00.008+11:00

Last week saw the end to our very successful conference, Global Biosecurity 2010. This was the first conference where the animal and plant biosecurity sectors were brought together through the collaboration of three CRCs.

As I stated at the opening of the conference, the key objective was to get researchers from the different sector to listen and learn from each other. I believe we achieved this and as one plant researcher said to me ' ..I have made an effort to only go to talks on subjects I know nothing about and I have learnt more at this conference than I have at any other conference'.

It was a credit to our CRC to see the breadth of talks given by researchers and PhD students. I compliment all who presented at the conference. In particular, a special congratulations to Bo Zhang, one of our PhD students who won the Springer student poster award.

Conferences of this size do not happen without the efforts of people and sponsors. The CRC is very proud of the large effort made by Kate Scott. Without her efforts the conference would not have been the success it was. I also thank the other Canberra office staff and CRC participants who contributed to making the event successful.

HAL, GRDC, ACERA, AQIS, QUT, PHA and Springer all provided sponsorship which enabled the conference to be a success.

The success of the conference is a positive step for our re-bid.

Simon

Mid February 2010

2010-02-18T09:39:00.008+11:00

US visit
I returned last week from a successful visit to the USA. The purpose of the visit was to attend the Quads Scientific Collaboration Working Group meeting and to identify research areas that can be developed as collaborative efforts as part of the re-bid.

There is strong interest within the USDA-APHIS-CPHST group for collaborative links with the CRC. Areas such as digital diagnostics, climate change and quarantine inspection technologies are examples of those areas that have real potential for strong international collaboration.

Re-bid
Last week an information paper was circulated widely that gives an overview of the re-bid. The paper can be found on our website. The paper gives an outline of the draft program structure and likely research areas within each program. The Science Committee are currently developing a program overview that will explore the research areas in greater detail. Our Research Leader, Dr David Eagling and his team of Program Leaders will have a first draft completed in early March.

The draft program structure is;
• Program 1: Managing area freedom – diagnostic and surveillance tools
• Program 2: Securing product integrity – system approaches
• Program 3: Enhancing biosecurity preparedness – pre-border, border and post-border protection
• Program 4: Engaging communities – through education and training
• Program 5: Delivering biosecurity innovation – through market validation

The name proposed for for the re-bid is Plant Biosecurity CRC. The tagline will change from biosecurity built on science to science underpinning market access. In this way the CRC’s name will emphasise the importance of trade and market access. I am keen to hear individual views on other possibilities for a name and tagline.

The taskforce continues to work on developing the re-bid and a consultant has been engaged to assist with the process.

Science review
To assist the CRC in developing the re-bid an independent review on the quality of science being undertaken by the CRC has been arranged. The review will be undertaken around the Global Biosecurity 2010 conference and the review panel consists of three highly respected members of the plant biosecurity system, Dr Gordon Gordh (chair), Mr Andrew Inglis and Dr Bill Roberts.

Global Biosecurity 2010
The conference commences next week and the organising committee are very happy with the program, the quality of speakers and the social activities which are so important for building networks. This event could not be possible without our wonderful sponsors and the organisations who have chosen to exhibit at the conference. The number of registrants has now exceeded 400 which is very pleasing.

I look forward to catching up with many of you next week in Brisbane.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-21T09:42:00.001+11:00

The Global Biosecurity 2010 conference is shaping up to be a very successful event. At the time of writing we have over 350 registrants from across the sectors and around the world. If you have not yet registered I encourage to register for this inaugural conference.

The re-bid process continues. The taskforce met yesterday (20 January) to progress planning and the outcomes of the meeting were very positive. An information paper covering the outcomes of the meeting will be posted early next week. Over the coming weeks I will be having discussions with a number of potential participants that will assist in shaping a successful bid.

The deadline for submission of the re-bid is 2 July 2010. This will require the considerable effort of many individuals to ensure we submit a proposal that has a high probability of being supported. I encourage you to contribute to the process by identifying areas of research that are new and innovative and have the capacity to improve the Australian biosecurity system.

Selection Round 13 for the CRC Program

2009-12-23T12:00:00.005+11:00

Last week (16 December) the Australian government announced the details for Selection Round 13 of the CRC Program. The Minister, Senator Kim Carr said applications from all industry and community sectors and research disciplines were invited to submit, however the two priority areas would be manufacturing innovation and social innovation. He suggested the areas closely fit the objectives of the program and are important priority areas for the Rudd Government and Australia. Below are the quotes from his media release.

“Manufacturing innovation can focus on traditional areas such as automotive, textile, footwear and clothing industries, or in new and emerging industries such as scientific and medical instruments, specialist engineering, aerospace, and advanced materials.

“Social innovation will target areas of major social challenge and will be interpreted broadly. Issues such as ageing, substance abuse, participation in education and sport are possible priority areas. Other areas include low socio-economic groups, rural and remote issues, and Indigenous Australians.

“The program will continue to support innovative research that relies on cross-disciplinary and collaborative approaches, to drive research solutions to the major challenges facing Australians today.”

As you’re aware, Round 13 is the round that we expected to re-bid for another term.

At first glance the priorities do not match our CRC well, however the Chairman and I will be discussing these ‘suggested priorities’ with our contacts in the CRC Program to further investigate the meaning for social innovation. The nominated taskforce will meet on 20 January 2010 to discuss whether or not we target Round 13 or Round 14and advise the Board accordingly.

Interestingly, Round 12 (the latest round) did not support any agriculture based CRCs, and Round 13 is suggesting a priority for manufacturing. Delaying our re-bid until Round 14 may improve our chances of success and has the advantage of giving us more time to prepare our application.

If the taskforce discussions recommend to delay the re-bid until Round 14, it will not mean we cease the current planning activities. As discussed in my Leaflet column, we will continue to build a very robust bid for another term which will be facilitated through the taskforce. As such, I encourage those that are considering new research objectives to continue their planning.

I will update as further detail becomes available.

Simon