Victoria boosts health and medical research investment

The Victorian government has announced a $230 million health package, entitled Healthy Futures, which includes significant new investment in health and medical research.

The Healthy Futures statement includes:

• $53 million to establish a new Australian Centre for Neuroscience and Mental Health Research, integrating four institutes - the Howard Florey Institute, Brain Research Institute, Mental Health Research Institute and National Stroke Research Institute. The Institute will have two nodes – one on the University of Melbourne's Parkville campus and the other at the Austin Hospital. The University-based node will be the Howard Florey Institute (HFI), with the Brain Research Institute and the National Stroke Research Institute comprising the Austin node. The Howard Florey development will include the co-location of the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI), now in Royal Park.
However, the MHRI will not be part of the Neuroscience Institute at this stage.
• $35 million for a new Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute to be based at Monash University and complementing other research facilities based there including the Australian Stem Cell Centre, the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratory and stem cell companies;

• $16 million for a new institute for infectious diseases through the merger of the Austin Research Institute and the Burnet Institute, to be located at the new Alfred Centre in Prahan;

• $50 million to support the $130 million expansion of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute;

• $15 million for a new Victorian Cancer Agency;

• $21 million to establish the Australian Cancer Grid project and create new e-Research Centres;

• $9.2 million for a new bioresources facility for the Austin Biomedical Alliance;

• $250,000 to make Victoria a more attractive location for clinical trials; and

• $1 million to support an industry partnership to establish a new bioprocessing facility in Victoria.

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Queensland Government announces biotech grants at Bio2006

Bio 2006, held this month in Chicago, has provided the venue for announcement by the Queensland government of a suite of major investments in science, innovation and research, funded through the $200 million, four-year Smart State Innovation Funds program announced last year.

Innovation Project Fund grants

• Nanomics BioSystems Pty Ltd had received a $992,479 Innovation Project Fund grant to help it develop a rapid disease detection toolkit for viral diseases in humans, animals and plants. Nanomics BioSystems was founded by Professor Matt Trau and BioSystems is hosted by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Nanotechnology and Biomaterials, commercialising the centre’s bio-molecular diagnostics and drug discovery technologies. Nanomics is working with the Australian Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the CRC for National Plant Biosecurity in developing the new technology.

• The Queensland Institute of Medical Research has been awarded two Innovation Project Fund grants. The first grant of $260,000 is for its work on developing a low-cost rotavirus vaccine for developing countries. Q-Gen – Queensland Institute of Medical Research’s scale-up manufacturing unit – will scale-up the rotavirus vaccine, which will ultimately be produced by project partner BioFarma in Indonesia, the largest vaccine manufacturer in Asia. Q-Gen is a core partner in the Queensland Government’s BioPharmaceuticals Australia which has a key role in the development of cost-effective vaccines for the developing world.
The second grant of $280,000 will enable its researchers to investigate the different strains of streptococcal diseases in India, to help determine the effectiveness of a Queensland streptococcal vaccine in a large population.
• The Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies at Griffith University has received a $44,000 Innovation Projects Fund grant to lead an international alliance with Seattle Biomedical Research Institute to develop new drugs to combat tropical diseases.

• A research project led by the University of Queensland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology has been awarded $2 million to develop simple tests for early disease diagnostics. The project will use nanotechnology to find biomarkers for a number of diseases, such as cancers and infectious diseases, and will then determine which biomarkers are most suitable for clinical detection. The project will be undertaken in collaboration with Queensland-based company Nanomics BioSystems and research institutes including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Washington, all of which are based in Washington State.

• A $350,000 grant has been awarded to Genetic Solutions Pty Ltd for its SmartGene for Beef project. The project integrates two genetic technologies: the Estimate Breeding Values process, giving an estimate of an animal’s value based on comparison with similar animals, and DNA markers that test for desirable traits such as tenderness and marbling.
The funding will be used to map out the individual genetic makeup of 14,000 cattle, analyse beef quality traits against tested DNA markers, and convert the results to Marker Assisted Estimated Breeding Values.
Founded in 1998 by former CSIRO colleagues Dr Jay Hetzel and Dr Gerard Davis, Genetic Solutions develops and commercialises DNA technology in the livestock and aquaculture industries to improve predictability and control in the food production chain. It introduced the world’s first DNA test for quality beef –GeneSTAR marbling.
Genetic Solutions is working with a number of partners in developing the new technology, including the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies, the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit, the Agricultural Business Research Institute, Meat and Livestock Australia, Breedlink and Cornell University in the United States.


Funding for Innovation Business Accellerator
$3.6 million has been provided to the University of the Sunshine Coast to build a new Innovation Centre Business Accelerator. The facility will will be built within the existing Innovation Centre at the university to provide high-tech companies with mentoring support, access to IT campus-based experts, cost-effective office accommodation and Internet services.
The Innovation Centre Business Accelerator will eventually house up to 20 companies. Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year.

Partnerships-Alliances Facilitation Program (PAFP)
Grants totalling $845,000 have been awarded to 11 Queensland organisations to assist in the formulation of collaborative funding proposals. The Partnerships-Alliance Facilitation Program provides grants of up to $100,000 to organisations such as Queensland universities, research institutions, hospitals and industry bodies.
Grants in this first round will support four Queensland University of Technology research projects, three at the University of Queensland, as well as projects for Griffith University, the Mater Hospital, Gallipoli Research Foundation and Australian Aerospace.

Smart State Premier’s Fellowship
Australian of the Year, Professor Ian Frazer, has been awarded the Smart State Premier’s Fellowship, securing $250,000 per year for five years for his University of Queensland Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research at PrincessAlexandraHospital.
Professor Frazer has been researching the cause of cervical cancer for the past 20 years, proving the link between cervical cancers and the papilloma virus and developing the world’s first vaccine for cervical cancer.
The funding, which is part of the Innovation Skills Fund, will be used on research to translate the immunotherapy success of the cervical cancer vaccine to other cancers and infections. The first target disease is the papillomavirus infection of the anogenital tract which can lead to cancer and considered to be a good model for other diseases that may also be treated by immunotherapy.

Smart State Senior Fellowships
The Queensland Government has awarded three Smart State Senior Fellowships, each worth $150,000 over three years. They include:
Dr Brendan O’Sullivan, of the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research at the University of Queensland, will contribute to developing a method that targets liver cells to delay or prevent the development of Type 2 diabetes in obese individuals
Dr John Power of the Queensland Brain Institute, also at the University of Queensland, will develop therapies for anxiety, addiction and Alzheimer’s disease based on an improved understanding of the region of the brain that is involved in emotional learning, and in particular the role of calcium in nerve cells and how it affects learning and memory.
Dr Christopher Day from the School of Medical Science, GriffithUniversity, who heads a team that is working on creating carbohydrate drugs to fight Campylobacter-related food borne diseases.
A fourth Smart State Senior Fellowship, worth $100,000 over three years has been awarded to Dr Mark Kendall, an Australian who has been working at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and will return to Australia to undertake nanotechnology research at the University of Queensland. Dr Kendall is working on the development of nanotechnology skin patches designed to deliver improved DNA vaccines
Research agreement with Washington State
In other announcements, Queensland and Washington State have signed a Statement of Intent to collaborate on biotechnology research, development and commercialisation.
The alliance follows meetings last year between a delegation of 26 of Queensland’s leading scientists and senior representatives from major institutes and biotech companies, led by Queensland Chief Scientist Peter Andrews, and 60 of Washington State researchers.
These meetings focused on areas such as infectious diseases, cancer, agricultural biotechnology, technology transfer, as well bioengineering and biomanufacturing.

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Ecohydrology Research Group established

A joint water research group focussing on optimising the use of water as a resource, integrating and balancing environmental and human water/nutrient requirements, and evaluating the downstream impacts of agriculture and related land use, has been established by the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) and the University of Western Australia (UWA) through the institute Agriculture Research Western Australia (ARWA).

Research undertaken by DAFWA's Integrated Water and Nutrient Management (IWNM) project and the research conducted by UWA's School of Environmental Systems Engineering and School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, and the Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management (Albany) will form the basis for the Ecohydrology Research Group.

Scientists from Murdoch, Edith Cowan and Curtin Universities, the CSIRO and other organisations will be involved in collaborative research projects.

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Victoria in US deal to sequence microbes

The Victorian Government has committed $3 million towards a collaborative research project between the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and the U.S. Venter Institute to investigate and sequence soil and animal microbes.

The collaboration will use technologies developed at the Venter Institute for decoding the human genome to develop an inventory of previously undescribed bacteria and viruses and their gene complement from two environments in Victoria, the soil and the rumen of animals.

The Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Bob Cameron, said the two-pronged approach would help researchers better understand overall species diversity and generate new technologies for livestock and plant-based industries. He said the project would be looking for genetic information relating to nutrient recycling, degradation of pesticides and other chemicals, disease organisms of plant livestock and human significance and associated biocontrol microbes. The profiling of DNA from previously undescribed soil micro-organisms and their gene complement will assist in identifying how soils differ in fertility and the impact of management on fertility.

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Aortech to expand after deal with St Jude Medical

Medical device company, Aortech Biomaterials has announced plans to expand its Melbourne production facility following the signing last month of an exclusive licence and supply agreement with St Jude Medical for the use of its Elast-Eon™ bio-material in cardiac rhythm management leads.

Elast-Eon was invented by CSIRO scientist, Dr Pathiraja A. Bunatillake, for use in long-term medical devices like pacemakers, stents and spinal discs, and recently received clearance from US and European regulatory bodies for use in long-term implantable medical devices. Aortech is currently investigating the use of the material in heart valves and finger joints.

The Melbourne facility will be located at the Small Technologies Cluster in the Melbourne suburb of Scoresby and will begin operations in June and include a commercial-scale polymer synthesis manufacturing plant.

The new facility, which will include a polymer analytical facility, a clean room accredited to ISO9001 standard, and manufacturing facilities capable of small batch production, will be available on a contract services basis for use by other companies.

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Funding donated for Chair of Water Management

Sydney business executive, Gary Johnston, of Jaycar Electronics, has donated $1 million to create Australia's first Chair of Water Management, based at the University of New South Wales. Professor Ian Acworth of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been appointed to the new Chair and will head up a team of scientists and engineers.

Professor Acworth, an expert in the field of groundwater research, said that Australia pipes vast amounts of underground water for agriculture and inland cities and towns and there was urgent need for research and public education about its better management.

. The Faculty of Engineering has committed to establish the companion Lectureship while the Faculty of Science has committed to establishing a companion Postdoctoral position.

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Victoria signs MoU with Manitoba

The Victorian Government has signed an MoU with the Canadian province of Manitoba to build strategic alliances between research institutions and businesses working in biosecurity research, diagnostics, and pest and disease management.

Announcing the MoU, the Minister for Innovation, John Brumby said that Victoria and Manitoba share similar environmental and climatic conditions making collaboration in the areas of agricultural biotechnology and the environment extremely valuable.

“Both states are well placed to take a leading role on global biosecurity issues and the three-year MoU will encourage collaboration on research projects and other business and government exchanges.”

Victoria signed a similar MoU with the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan last year.

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New stem cell project to develop blood products

The University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Australian Stem Cell Centre are to collaborate in a national program to make transfusible blood products from stem cells.
The $2 million-plus program will use a bioreactor to incubate and stimulate the growth and development of quantities of blood-producing stem cells.

The Bioreactor Development Program, to be headed by AIBN Director Professor Peter Gray, will bring together cell biologists, clinicians and bioengineers from Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales. It will be funded by the the Australian Stem Cell Centre for a three year period.

An initial target will be to produce blood products such as those that that help cancer patients recover from chemotherapy.

Its overall aim will be to produce stem cells in large enough quantities for clinical trials and for the commercial manufacture of therapeutic products.
Professor Gray said the program embodies fundamental science developed by the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) and will require the successful development of microdevices and smart surfaces capable of reproducing the microscale control of conditions involved during differentiation.

In another development, the Australian Stem Cell Centre and Monash University have signed a collaboration agreement with the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Under the agreement both centres will have access to research facilities and staff as well as undertake a regular exchange program to fast-track research and knowledge transfer.

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The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science – Nominations close Friday 19th of May.

Closing Date: Friday 19 May 2006, AEST 5.00 pm.

We are seeking nominations for any of the following five (5) prestigious science and science teaching annual awards:

• Prime Minister's Prize for Science
• Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year
• Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year
• Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools
• Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools

Information about the Prizes and the online nomination process is available here

Contact Information: Science Prizes Secretariat, Department of Education, Science and Training, Tel: (02) 6240 5066, Fax (02) 6123 6168, email: pmprize@dest.gov.au

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Invitation for Grant Applications to establish an Australian Bioinformatics Network

The Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources is inviting suitably qualified candidates to apply for a grant which provides seed funding to help establish an Australian Bioinformatics Network. A single grant is available to the value of $250 000.

As part of their application candidates must propose the role of the Network in implementing elements of the National Bioinformatics Strategy. Applications will be assessed against criteria, outlined in an Invitation for Grant Applications (IFGA) document.

The IFGA document gives information on how to prepare and submit applications, and is available from www.industry.gov.au/bioinfogrant Requests for clarification of the grant documentation should be directed to Mark.Jennings@industry.gov.au

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Position Vacant: Chief Operating Officer

Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers

• R&D management, commercialisation, business development
• Polymer technology
• Package to $180,000

The Cooperative Research Centre for Polymers (CRC-P) is seeking a dynamic and experienced executive to join its management team as the Chief Operating Officer to drive its research, development and commercialisation activities.

The CRC-P is part of the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Programme which promotes collaborative research in high priority areas of science and engineering. The CRC-P was initially established in July 1992 and has a strong track record of developing innovative technologies and successfully adapting these to commercial applications in collaboration with companies. It has commenced a 7-year period of operation from July 2005 under new funding arrangements. The participants in the CRC-P include ten industrial companies, ten universities, and two government research laboratories.

The CRC-P conducts leading-edge polymer research to deliver the technically advanced polymeric materials and polymer engineering required to transform Australian industries and to establish and expand companies in emerging high-growth areas of the economy. Its research covers biomedical polymers, advanced polymeric materials, polymers for sustainable development, and polymer product design and engineering.

As Chief Operating Officer you will be involved in managing the development, protection and commercialisation of CRC-P technologies, via both licensing and the establishment of start-up ventures. You will have relevant tertiary qualifications in science or engineering, proven project management skills, recent experience in managing commercialisation or marketing, and preferably a relevant background in research or development. In addition, you will have a record of scientific and/or commercial achievement, proven technology or commercial management and leadership expertise at a senior level, excellent communication and relationship management skills, and the ability to represent the CRC-P effectively to senior people in industry, the finance community, academia and government.

A salary package of up to $180,000 p.a., depending on qualifications and experience, will be negotiated with the successful candidate for an initial term of three years. The position will be based at the company’s registered office at Notting Hill (close to Monash University) in Melbourne and will require interstate travel.

To pursue this opportunity in strict confidence, please forward details of your qualifications and experience to The Chairman, CRC for Polymers, 8 Redwood Drive, Notting Hill, Vic. 3168, by 1 May 2006. Enquiries can be made by contacting Dr Ian Dagley on 03 9518 0400 or e-mail (dagley@crcp.com.au). Further information on the CRC-P can be found on the web site at www.crcp.com.au

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Position Vacant: Research Program Leader

Vision Science, Technology and Applications

National ICT Australia (NICTA) is Australia’s ICT Research Centre of Excellence. NICTA aims to bring together world-class researchers and professional staff, enhance their skills, and build a culture of entrepreneurship and achievement in use-inspired research that will build Australia's ICT capacity.

We are seeking an outstanding Research Program Leader to provide inspirational leadership for the Vision Science, Technology and Applications in its Canberra Research Laboratory. Although the Program has general interests in the Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, at present it is focused on real-time embedded vision, imaging spectroscopy and thermal imaging medical applications and video analysis.

The Program Leader will be expected to build on the current strengths and broaden the research profile of the Program which, at present, consists of 19 research staff.

The Program Leader will be responsible for:

• Providing research leadership for the Program;
• Contributing to the development of research priorities, research training, supervision of PhD students, and collaborative project formation;
• Attracting new research staff;
• Building linkages to other institutions, industry (both Australian and International), relevant government agencies and promoting commercialisation activities.

You may direct queries to:

Professor Terry Caelli
Director, Canberra Research Laboratory, National ICT Australia (NICTA)
Level 2, Nouvelle House, 216 Northbourne Ave, Braddon, ACT 2612
Australia ph: +61 2 6125 0079 Fax: +61 2 6230 6120
email: terry.caelli@nicta.com.au

Applications:
Please visit NICTA Careers to view the criteria essential to this role and apply online (http://nicta.com.au/director/careers.cfm)

Closing date: 29 April 2006

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Positions Vacant: Three senior research positions in information technology

The Centre for Information Technology Research (CITR) at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, is seeking to appoint 3 senior research academics (from level C - Senior Lecturer to level E - Full Professor) across its strategic research areas.

The Centre undertakes fundamental and applied research across its constituent areas contributing to two major research themes of Reliable Software Systems and Service Oriented Computing. It embraces research in Complex Intelligent Systems, Component Software and Enterprise Systems, Information Systems, Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, Software Testing, Web and Data Engineering, and Workflow Technology. The Centre has a major goal to enable synergy between its different research areas to strengthen its national and international profile.

Closing Date: 3 May 2006

For position information and to apply online go to www.swinburne.edu.au/jobs

Information on the Centre is available at: http://www.swin.edu.au/ict/research/citr

For further information contact Prof Ryszard Kowalczyk, Director of CITR on ph: +61 3 9214 5834 or email to: rkowalczyk@swin.edu.au.

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Celebrating ideas and innovation – World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April

Wednesday 26 April is World Intellectual Property (IP) Day.

In the spirit of this year’s World IP Day theme ‘Intellectual Property: it starts with an idea’, IP Australia is encouraging everyone to recognise and celebrate those in our community whose innovation and ideas provide the starting point for all of the inventions, products, designs and brands which surround us in our day-to-day lives.

This World IP Day, celebrate the contribution intellectual property makes in supporting researchers and entrepreneurs. Acknowledge the effort and investment it takes to see ideas through to reality. Recognise how IP benefits everyone by encouraging and stimulating new ideas for making our lives more enjoyable, easier and healthier.

Remember to act on your own ideas – you never know where they could lead. For a list of events and to discover more about intellectual property visit www.worldipday.gov.au

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CRCA2006 Conference

The Annual Conference of the Cooperative Research Centres Association from 17th to 19th May at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre explores the theme:

CRCs: MAKING AN IMPACT

Sessions include:

• Impact of CRCs – an End-user perspective
• Industrial Growth – Impact of Research
• Maximising Impact through Communication
• Economic Growth: Impact of Education, Training & Technology
• Commercial Growth: Impact of Adoption Strategies as well as
• Showcasing CRC PhDs and the Impact of CRC PhDs

The Conference will be opened by Hon Anna Bligh, MP, Deputy Premier of Queensland

Guest speakers include:

• Dr Robin Batterham, AO chief Technologist RioTinto Ltd
• Professor Sir Guy Green, Patron, CRC for Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems
• Mr Don McKay, CEO Australian Agriculture Company Ltd
• Mr Gus Taddeo, CEO, William A. Cook Australia Pty Ltd
• Dr Mark Englund, CEO, Redfern Optical Components
• Mr Duncan Buckeridge, Managing Director, Insight Economics
• Mr Campbell Davidson, Manager, Research BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance

Key Events:
HYPOTHETICAL– NOT A DROP TO DRINK – facilitated by Bernie Hobbs (ABC New Inventors)

with a great line up of panelists

• Hon Malcolm Turnbull, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the PM with special responsibility for Water Policy
• Mr Wayne Cameron, Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordination Committee
• Professor Peter Cullen, Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists
• Mr David Fahl, p&e Law
• Ms Ticky Fullerton, ABC Four Corners
• Mr Ted Gardner, Government Water Researcher
• Professor Ian Lowe, Australian Conservation Foundation
• Ms Fiona Wain, Environment Business Australia

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN INNOVATION - Gala Presentation Dinner

We are grateful to the Queensland Department for State Development, Trade & Innovation for their support as Principal Sponsor.

For more information and registration visit www.crca.asn.au/conference or phone Caroline, Professional Corporate Conferences on 02 8850 6796

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Commercialisation Expo 2006 – Today’s Knowledge is Tomorrow’s Innovation

ACT NOW - Calling for Posters! You have until April 21st to get your Poster and Business Opportunity Summaries in and be eligible for a range of prizes including the prestigious Peter Doherty Prize, worth $100,000. Online submissions are simple to execute – just click here

Commercialisation Expo 2006 connects research organisations with industry to exchange ideas to create tomorrow’s future commercial successes. The expo will build on the 2003 inaugural event where the exhibited technologies attracted over $40 million of investment and led to numerous contract R&D and service agreements.

The event will be held from the 18th-20th June 2006 at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Registrations for the Expo are now open for delegates, exhibitors and
sponsors.

Commercialisation Expo 2006 boasts the following activities:

• Commercialisation Conference: The conference aims to identify and assess the challenges facing research organisations and business when they connect and commercialise. A diverse array of speakers from around the world will draw on both local and global knowledge and provide assessment and forecasts for future commercialisation trends.
• Exhibition: A feature of the Expo is the general exhibition booths that will showcase your technology to your peers and potential partners.
• Poster Displays: 300 posters will showcase the best innovation and technology Australia has to offer. Posters will also be featured in the Big Book of Ideas and these posters are the entry gateway for the Peter Doherty Prize for Innovation.
• Peter Doherty Prize for Innovation: The most outstanding eligible opportunity will be awarded the Peter Doherty Prize which is valued at $100,000 of cash and in-kind services. Other prizes available included $10,000 sector-specific and state-based prizes.

Contact The Meeting Planners expo2006@meetingplanners.com.au or 03 9417 0888 or more information and bookings can be made on line now at www.expo2006.com.au.

Early Bird registration ends on the 21st April, and exhibition booths are selling out fast, with over 60% sold already.

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“It’s all about creating wealth... for you, your organisation, your community.”

Information Evening – Sydney CBD – on 4 May. Registration is essential. Call our office on (02) 92094111 or 1 300 664 543 or email ecic.syd@adelaide.edu.au.

If you’re a budding entrepreneur, if you’re interested in technology commercialisation, or if you’re driven to manage projects profitably, our uniquely tailored programs could be for you.

Intensive courses to Masters level will give you the skills, knowledge - even the network - to create wealth, social and financial - for you, and your community. Make a difference. Become master of your universe, your destiny.

With participants from across Australia, the ecic is an important national hub of knowledge sharing, creation and dissemination - part of the essential infrastructure driving innovation and wealth creation. You will share experiences with like-minded people, from different academic, industry and professional backgrounds.

Enjoy the flexible, applied nature of our programs. Create and exploit synergies across your work, learning and innovating activities.

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Software Commercialisation

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne, in association with the Australian Institute for Commercialisation (AIC), are pleased to announce our program in Software Commercialisation.

This subject is designed to provide individuals from primarily technical backgrounds with a theoretical grounding in the foundations of software commercialisation and to provide specific training that will enable the development of software commercialisation plans.

Specific strategic issues relating to the product or service decision, the role of software metrics, channels to market, protecting IP, finance, project and risk assessment are all covered.
Assessment

The program is available as a short course only, or as a short course plus a supervised project in the period following short course attendance. The latter leads to an accredited award from The University of Melbourne and the AIC.

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $2700 + GST (Short Course)
$4200 (award course)

When: May 15th – 19th

Where: The University of Melbourne, University House, Parkville

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Check out more information at;

http://www.soe.unimelb.edu.au/commercialise

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Brad Atkins on (03) 9810 3185 or email b.atkins@soe.unimelb.edu.au

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Are you involved in research? An Introduction to Project Management!

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne, in association with the Association of Regulatory and Clinical Scientists (ARCS), are pleased to announce that they will be holding a 1 day short course on An Introduction to Project Management.

This course is suitable for anyone working in research project teams in medical and scientific areas, to develop research management capabilities both in general and also specifically in the clinical research context.

Project Management

• Standard steps for any clinical project
• Defining, planning and implementing a project
• Exercise: How to schedule

Risk Assessment

• Exercise: Feasibility assessment

Site Selection

• How to apply risk-minimising strategies in an actual site selection visit
• What documentaion to expect
• What to ask and how to ask it
• Early warning signs to note

Recruiting Strategies

• Common issues, tried solutions

Supporting your Centres

• Applying management strategies that work

Common Audit Issues

Cost: $1100 + GST ($800 + GST for ARCS members)

When: 28th April, 2006. (8.30am to 5.30pm)

Where: The University of Melbourne, Hawthorn Campus, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn

NEED TO KNOW MORE? Check out more information at;
http://www.soe.unimelb.edu.au/clinicalresearch

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Brad Atkins on (03) 9810 3185 or email b.atkins@soe.unimelb.edu.au

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Measuring the Success of Messaging: What Do Clinicians Value Most?

To learn new ways to improve the value of publication planning and medical writing, Astrolabe Analytica, Inc., a Thomson business, and the University of Alabama School of Medicine performed a study of the reading habits of physicians. The study confirmed that clinicians still rely on scientific literature to learn about new drugs, advances in therapies, etc.

Factors influencing interpretation of medical literature comprised (in rank order):

• Quality of information
• How well key concepts are supported by data
• Journal quality
• Presentation format
• Reputation of sponsor
• Reputation of investigators
• Commercial sponsorship

Evaluating knowledge: The Brand Management Module from Thomson PharmaSM

The Brand Management Module evaluates knowledge in publicly available resources, from a prescribing clinician’s point of view. The system identifies, categorizes and quantitatively scores key ideas and messages published about a product from the point of view of the practicing clinician. The results can then be used to assess the impact these messages will have on the attitudes and treatment habits of clinicians.

To find out more, visit: here

E-mail: ts.info.asia@thomson.com
Tel: +61 2 8587 7948 or 1 800 007 214 (from Australia)

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Special offer from New Scientist

This week in New Scientist: Is space-time actually a superfluid?, trials for drug that leaves HIV defenceless, tests to show if dark energy interacts with dark matter,and much much more...

Eaxch week New Scientist distils the key developments in science and technology and analyses their impact on the economy, society, the environment, politics and individuals.

EnviroInfo readers can save up to 30% off the standard subscription price + for a limited time receive a FREE Copy of the full length last word book 'Does anything eat wasps?'

Subscribe on-line here or call 1300 360 126 and quote the code NS06WB10.

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Spruson&Ferguson: patent and trade mark attorneys

With over 115 years experience, Spruson&Ferguson is a leading intellectual property firm in Australia which provides a fully integrated service for the protection, commercialisation and enforcement of your intellectual property.

Spruson&Ferguson is one of the largest intellectual property firms in Australia, with a team of over 220. Our 60 plus patent and trade mark attorneys and lawyers work in specialised practice areas; Chemical/Life Sciences, Mechanical, Electrical/Information & Communications Technologies (ICT) and Trade Marks, together with Spruson&Ferguson Lawyers which provides intellectual property commercialisation, enforcement and dispute resolution services.

Spruson&Ferguson’s patent and trade mark attorneys and lawyers have extensive intellectual property and industry experience in science and engineering including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electronics, phototonics, transport, telecommunications, mining, publishing, consumer products, ceramics, chemistry and mechanical/medical technologies.

The depth of our industry experience is an attribute that many of our clients hold in high regard. Spruson&Ferguson is a recognised as a market leader with multinationals and many of Australia’s foremost research institutions entrusting to us to protect and assisting with the maximisation of returns on their intellectual property assets.

Our comprehensive range of services includes patents, trademarks, designs, domain names, IP audits, due diligence, dispute resolution and litigation and intellectual property commercialisation services including licensing, joint ventures and research and development collaborations.

For more information about our comprehensive range of intellectual property services, please contact one of the following relationship principals:

Chemical: Dr John McCann BSc (Hons) PhD FIPTA
Life Sciences: Dr Andrew Blattman BScAgr (Hons) PhD GDipIP FIPTA
Electrical: Robert Miller BE BLegS FIPTA
ICT: Scott Berggren BSEE MSEE LLB FIPTA
Mechanical: Greg Turner BE FIPTA
Trade Marks: Annette Freeman BA LLB (ANU) LLM (UTS)
IP Commercialisation: Rob McInnes BSc (Hons) LLB (Syd)
IP Litigation & Dispute Resolution: Simon Williams BA LLB (Syd) LLM (Lond)
Managing Principal: David Griffith BE (Hons) FIPTA

Telephone: (02) 9207 0777
Fax: (02) 9261 5486
Email mail@sprusons.com.au

www.sprusons.com.au

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