Biotech projects share the wealth in latest CRC round

A cluster of biotech-intensive entities have been created in the latest round of Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) grants, including a $17.5 million Australian biosecurity centre and a $28 million sugar industry innovation centre.

They are among a total of 30 new or existing CRCs which will share a record $478.5 million over the next seven years from the Commonwealth's 2002 funding round. Half a dozen of the 30 appear to depend heavily on biotechnology tools and expertise to meet their research goals.

Agricultural biotech has been the big winner from the new round of grants. The new biosecurity CRC is one of six research institutes oriented toward agriculture which will have more that $120 million parcelled out to them.

Another four centres working in the medical science and technology sector will receive more than $80 million.

Biotech-linked research institutes in the agricultural sector which have been successful in the latest funding round include the new CRCs for Sugar Industry Innovation ($28 million) and Innovative Grain Food Products ($24.05 million ), and the expanded Molecular Plant Breeding CRC ($25 million).

The Australian Biosecurity CRC will "develop new capabilities to monitor, assess, predict and respond to emerging infectious disease threats which impact on national and regional biosecurity," McGauran said.

Research outcomes will include devices to detect pathogens on-site and new platform technologies to enhance the speed, sensitivity and specificity of laboratory and on-site tests.

The CRC for Innovative Grain Food Products plans to develop grain products with therapeutic benefits for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It will launch a major genetics program to identify genes controlling targeted properties in the grains which deliver processing and health benefits.

The program will rely on high-throughput DNA analysis to search for targeted genes in existing genetic resources and the products of induced mutation.

The CRC for Sugar Industry Innovation will bring together Australian research groups in sugarcane molecular biology and chemical engineering plus key research and extension agencies for sugarcane growing and milling. It will also include CSR Sugar and agricultural biotechnology colossus DuPont.

The Molecular Plant Breeding CRC will develop molecular technologies to help ensure the competitiveness of Australian crop and pasture industries. The research program will provide enabling intellectual property, new molecular technologies, tools and software to increase the efficiency and speed of plant breeding, and novel germplasm and varieties.