ABS report on higher education expenditure on R&D

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its latest statistics on Higher education expenditure on R&D (HERD), covering up to 2004.

The ABS found that HERD in Australia in 2004 was $4,283 million and over the ten years to 2004, HERD increased at an average annual rate of 13.4% in current price terms. HERD as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 0.44% in 2002 to 0.48% in 2004.

Between 2002 and 2004, New South Wales recorded the largest growth HERD in absolute terms (up $200.9 million or 20.3%), while Western Australia recorded the fastest rate of growth (up 49.4% or $146.2 million). All states and territories recorded increases in their expenditure on R&D as a proportion of gross state product (GSP).
More information about the report, Research and Experimental Development, Higher Education Organisations, Australia, 2004 (8111.0), is at www.abs.gov.au.

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Funding for research infrastructure projects

The Australian Government has allocated $15 million to six projects to support improved research collaboration under the Systemic Infrastructure Initiative.

The projects are:

• Australian Research Enabling Environment (ARCHER)
Lead institution: Monash University, Partners: James Cook University, University of Queensland, Funding: $4,545,000
This project will build on the architecture and prototype software developed by the Dataset Acquisition Accessibility & Annotation e-Research Technologies (DART) project to adopt a common information management architecture and infrastructure across the many data intensive research areas represented in the 9 high priority capability areas under NCRIS (Evolving biomolecular platforms and informatics; Integrated biological systems; Characterisation; Fabrication; Biotechnology products; Networked biosecurity framework; Optical and radio astronomy; Integrated marine observing system; and Structure and evolution of the Australian continent). It will similarly address the information management needs of capability areas in the Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences and in the Humanities and Creative Arts.
Researchers in the NCRIS capability areas will be able to exploit the experience built up by the DART and ARCHER project teams, including knowledge transfer of research capability specific data management practices. Sharing a common underlying research information infrastructure enables research collaboration and cooperation across all areas of research endeavour. It facilitates the building of research capacity within Australia through the provision of seamless access to data and information that may potentially be in geographically disparate locations.
• Research Activityflow and Middleware Priorities (RAMP)
Lead institution: Macquarie University, Partners: University of Melbourne, Australian National University, Charles Sturt University, University of Southern Queensland, Macquarie University Library, ADL Australia
Funding: $2,900,000
The RAMP project will address two components of the national research information infrastructure: the development and implementation of open standards authorisation for protected repositories; and research into and demonstration of people-oriented research workflows.
The first component of the RAMP project on open standards authorisation is important for the effective inter-operation of digital repositories. There is an increasing need for management of protected content as part of repositories such as Institutional Repositories, e-Reserves, etc, but most approaches to protected content rely on hardwired or proprietary authorisation mechanisms that are inefficient, costly and promote system lock-in. Earlier work of the Meta Access Management System (MAMS) project has demonstrated the feasibility of an open standards approach to authorisation. The RAMP project will take this work to the next stage and develop robust technology solutions that can be adopted by a wide range of digital repository systems.
The second component of the project will examine and model the range of processes involved in conducting research, and develop a generic architecture and software solution to research activityflows that can be shared, re-used and adapted. This approach draws on the success of “Learning Design” (e.g. LAMS) within e-learning, and applies it to the challenges of people-based workflow in e-Research.
• Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW) – Stage 2
Lead institution: Monash University Partners: National Library of Australia, University of New South Wales, Swinburne University of Technology, Funding: $4,355,000
The Australian Research Repositories Online to the World (ARROW) project has provided tools to enable accessibility and discoverability of research from institutional repositories. ARROW Stage-2 will build upon this to support the building of institutional repositories for project partners and advise new members on how to proceed and what to expect. An important aspect of the ARROW Stage 2 project will be the establishment of sustainable pathways for institutional repositories beyond the term of the project.
The experiences of current trials in using repositories for the RQF will inform institutions on how they can prepare for RQF-repository integration. The project will develop software to support a more comprehensive set of digital objects and hence enable more creative uses of repositories and more flexible ways in which repositories integrate with other knowledge management tools. The project will also address the pressing need for a universally usable architecture and solution to the issue of persistent identifiers for digital objects and will implement a sustainable shared identifier infrastructure based on the Corporation for National Research Initiatives (CNRI) Handle System.
• Legal Frameworks for e-Research, Lead institution: Queensland University of Technology, Funding: $1,050,000
This project will extend and reinforce the work being undertaken by the Legal Protocols for Copyright Management for Open Access project. It will create an online intellectual property and licensing database that will augment and interoperate with the JISC funded Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access (SHERPA) project.
The first component of the project will examine and categorise existing publishing agreements of key Australian and other relevant publishers and present these results via a web interface. This information will assist repository managers, funding organisations, universities, authors and members of the public to better understand the operation of current publication agreements. It will act as a platform on which to advocate and build new models of funding and publication agreements attuned to knowledge access and e-Research. The project will also examine the key copyright issues facing Universities in the RQF assessment process.
The second component of the project will map out a sophisticated legal framework for e-Research and collaborative innovation. As the transition to NCRIS progresses it will become vitally important that the social and legal aspects of the e-Research framework develop in step with the rapid advances in technology. Particular focus will be given to open innovation within secure knowledge communities.

• Australian Partnership for Sustainable Repositories (APSR) – Stage 2, Lead institution: Australian National University, Partners: University of Queensland, University of Sydney, Funding: $1,870,000
APSR is an open partnership of research and higher education institutions, funded under SII, committed to the development of digital repositories and the provision of associated research-linked discovery, access and management services. This extension to APSR will build on the existing partnership and continue its role for promoting best practice and expertise in managing digital collections.
The extension of APSR will extend its services to the Australian higher education and research sectors. Specifically, APSR-2 will extend the programs on digital sustainability, core development, national outreach, and international linkages. The digital sustainability program will address the operational integration of key APSR projects with the two major digital repository systems in use in the sector. The core development program will continue the development of tools and techniques for integrating repositories with the processes of authoring, archiving, publication, and reporting. The national outreach program provides opportunities for knowledge sharing and networking for Australian researchers and information professionals and by developing skills.
• Integrated Content Environment for Research and Scholarship (ICE-RS), Lead institution: University of Southern Queensland, Funding recommended: $196,000
ICE-RS will create open standards based technical solutions to facilitate and encourage the efficient creation of flexible documents in the process of conducting and reporting on research. ICE-RS will deliver a research authoring environment that assists researchers to systematically create, structure, and manage their publications and reports, and aids the automation of research workflows. The project will build on existing work undertaken at the University of South Queensland, and The Australian National University along with contributions from the Regional Universities Building Research Infrastructure Collaboratively (RUBRIC) project.

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More Synchrotron partners sign up

Funding commitments for the initial nine beamlines of the Australian Synchrotron have reached $50 million following announcements by a New South Wales-led consortium and a South Australian/La Trobe University consortium.

The NSW Consortium is investing $5 million and involves 13 universities and the NSW Government, which is contributing $1 million. Participating universities include the University of NSW, University of Newcastle, University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, Macquarie University, University of Western Sydney, University of Technology Sydney, University of New England, Charles Sturt University, Southern Cross University, University of Canberra, University of Tasmania and Charles Darwin University.

A South Australian group comprising the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and Flinders University and the SA Government will contribute $2.5 million in partnership with La Trobe University, which is contributing a further $2.5 million.

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Queensland focuses on clean coal

The Queensland Government has earmarked $300 million from the Queensland Future Growth Fund to develop clean coal technology, and has created a Clean Coal Technology Board to foster the development of, and investment in, clean coal technologies.

The board’s functions also include:

• Preparing a business plan and a management strategy for the development and use of clean coal technology;
• Facilitating the development and use of the technology;
• Constructing facilities for the development and use of the technology;
• Developing funding strategies for the development and use of the technology from the private and public sectors;
• Advising on national and international research and development programs.

The board will comprise: Co-ordinator-General Ross Rolfe; Elizabeth Nosworthy, the former chair of Stanwell Corporation; Dr Ian Rose, Managing Director of ROAM Consulting, specialising in advice to the national electricity market; Professor Paul Greenfield, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Queensland; Mark O’Neill, Executive Director of the Australia Coal Association, as the industry representative; and Dr Kelly Thambimuthu, CEO of the Centre for Low Emissions Technology

In a recent development, Shell Development (Australia) Pty Ltd has signed an agreement to provide specialist expertise for the next stage of Stanwell Corporation’s project to build the world’s first power plant to integrate coal gasification technology with geosequestration of carbon dioxide.

Under the agreement, Stanwell's subsidiary, ZeroGen, will have access to Shell's intellectual property in underground carbon dioxide storage in return for a 10% equity in the project.

ZeroGen began a test drilling project in June to determine the geological suitability of rock formations in the Springsure-Emerald area for carbon dioxide sequestration.

Stanwell is a Queensland Government-owned corporation with a range of generating assets including coal-fired thermal, wind and hydro-electricity generation facilities in Queensland and other states. Its largest asset is based at Stanwell Energy Park, near Rockhampton, where it is proposed to build the power plant.

If the drilling results are as expected, a demonstration facility will be built at Stanwell Energy Park near Rockhampton in Central Queensland to produce up to 100 megawatts of electricity and with the capacity to capture and store up to 420,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The carbon dioxide would then be taken by pipe 220 kilometres to the saline underground aquifers near Emerald for storage.

The Queensland Co-ordinator-General has declared Zerogen a significant project which triggers the development of an environmental impact statement process for the project.

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Expressions of interest for international activities (Missions and Workshops): ATSE

 MISSIONS AND WORKSHOPS

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering is pleased to offer Australian researchers, from both the public and private sector, an opportunity to submit expressions of interest for international activities during the calendar year 2007-2008.

Closing date of EOI Proposal – Friday 25 August 2006 by 5.00 pm EST.

EOI forms and selection criteria are detailed on the ATSE website: http://www.atse.org.au

ATSE will not fund the following activities:
- Conference sponsorship
- Attendance or participation in conferences
- Collaborative research projects 
- Postdoctoral or Fellowship exchanges

This project is proudly supported by the International Science Linkages – Science Academies Programme, established under the Australian Government’s Innovation Statement, Backing Australia’s Ability.

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Awards and grants for research excellence - The Australian Academy of Science

The Academy is calling for nominations for:

• medals and prizes for early career and career researchers;
Closing date – 30 August

• research support for the conservation of endangered vertebrate species;
• support for overseas and local travel
Closing date – 30 September

The Academy is also calling for expressions of intent for:

• support for research conferences
Closing date – 30 September

Further information:

www.science.org.au/awards/research.htm
www.science.org.au/awards/index.htm

or ac@science.org.au or fax 02 6201 9494.

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Call for applications: Research funding for rural innovators

The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) invites people with innovative ideas for rural Australia to apply for research funding.

"RIRDC is a partnership between rural industries and the Australian Government, with a focus on diversification and new industry development, as well as on ensuring competitiveness and sustainability in a range of established industries," RIRDC Managing Director Dr Peter O'Brien said.

"The Corporation also manages research and development (R&D) across issues of national importance, such as farm health and safety, building the capacity of rural leaders and international trade."

"New industries and products enhance regional tourism by creating a regional flavour; they deliver environmental benefits; and they boost the productivity of other agricultural industries," said Dr O'Brien. "They also contribute strongly to regional differentiation, which attracts tourism.

"Weekend visitors to an Australian region enjoy amazing regional produce - from a tropical experience of rainforest fruits, crocodile steak and Australian gourmet coffee, to a temperate feast of truffles, extra virgin olive oil and sheep milk cheeses.

"All of these new industries have benefited from innovation, funded through RIRDC's new industries R&D programs."

RIRDC also plays a crucial role in areas of importance to all rural industries and communities, and has funded R&D projects dealing with environmental farm management, innovations for organic farming systems, developing information technology and human capacity in rural areas, and issues relating to global trade in agricultural commodities.

Established industries, including horses, chicken meat, rice, honey, deer, pasture seeds and fodder, also benefit from RIRDC-funded R&D.

"I urge all interested researchers, industry organisations and individuals to apply for support in 2007-2008. The closing date for applications is 15 September 2006," Dr O'Brien said. "The Corporation is looking for new projects that will benefit rural industries and communities."

"Rural Australia has significant potential and we look forward to funding an array of projects that will facilitate a more profitable, resilient and sustainable sector with well-targeted research and innovation. The Corporation funds almost $25 million worth of projects each year," he said.

Prospective applicants for research funding can obtain a free copy of the RIRDC Research Priorities and guidelines for the applications process from the RIRDC website at www.rirdc.gov.au, or by calling 02 6272 4819.

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Position Vacant: Commercialisation Manager

Biotron Limited is seeking a Commercialisation Manager to assist the CEO/Managing Director with development and implementation of the Company’s commercial strategy. The key responsibilities for this position include:
- Manage licensing agreements, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements and other documents relating to intellectual property management, commercialisation and business development.
- Management of Biotron’s intellectual property portfolio.
- Manage reporting requirements for existing state and federal grants and assist with identification, preparation and management of new funding opportunities.
- Preparation and approval of publications, patents and reports as required.
- Co-ordination of external research contracts and collaborations.
- Review of research projects and new opportunities as required.
- Assist with commercialisation of Biotron’s projects.
- Participate in the management of projects as required.
- Liaise between Biotron researchers, external academic and industry collaborators, and external contractors to maintain relationships and communication flow.

The Commercialisation Manager will report directly to the CEO and must be able to work independently and meet deadlines. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will have a BSc(Hons) in the biological sciences, with one or two years experience working in a commercial environment. A good working knowledge of the prosecution of patents and the ability to review and discuss medical research projects is essential. Excellent communication skills are also essential.

A competitive remuneration package commensurate with experience will be offered. Applications including a comprehensive CV and 3 professional referees may be emailed here or to the Human Resources Manager, Biotron Limited - LPO Box 8315 Australian National University ACT 2601.

Biotron Limited is a public listed biotechnology company (ASX:BIT) with operations in Canberra and Sydney. It is developing antiviral therapeutics and cancer diagnostics for sale or license to major pharmaceutical companies. Addition information on Biotron is available at www.biotron.com.au

Closing date 25th of August. 

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Maximising Shareholder Value the focus of upcoming conference

21-22 September, Rydges Hotel, Sydney.

An annual forum for executives responsible for delivering value to shareholders.

Leading practitioners will present on the drivers of shareholder value including the latest developments of capital management, capitals markets communications, corporate risk management and corporate governance aspects of executive remuneration.

Key speakers include:
David Pitman, The Boston Consulting Group;
Christine Hollyoak, Macquarie Bank;
Bob Officer, Founding Director of Acorn Capital;
Russell Brennan, GE Commercial Finance;
and Geof Stapledon, ISS Australia.

Points of focus include optimal balance sheet structure, efficient working capital management, accessing offshore markets, best practice governance of IT & EHS.

For further information and online registration visit http://www.capconnect.com.au or call (03) 8534 5011.

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Effective Collaborative Research Skills

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day short course on Effective Collaborative Research Skills.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
In a climate where excellence in research is promoted, effective collaboration has become essential in order to achieve world class research outcomes. Individuals, teams and organisations need well developed collaboration skills to successfully leverage their resources and expertise to achieve excellence in a highly competitive global research environment. This one day workshop will give you the skills to:
• Assess the benefits, costs and risks of collaboration
• Know why and when collaboration is needed
• Understand which collaboration approaches work best with different types of stakeholders
• Use the 3 principles of successful research collaboration to improve the efficiency of collaborative decision making
• Diagnose whether your potential collaborative partner meets the requirements of the 5 commitments of strong collaborative research partnerships
• Move from transactional single issue negotiations to collaborative relationship building approaches that have mutual benefits
• Neutralise the hard-ball tactics that have the potential to destroy collaborative research partnerships
• Identify strategies that will enhance the collaborative maturity of your organisation

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $540 + GST
When: Wednesday, 13th September, 2006
Where: The University of Melbourne,
Hawthorn Campus
442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email here

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Working Effectively with Research Project Teams

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming1 day short course on Working Effectively with Research Project Teams.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
The best research often emerges out of the creative interaction of talented team members. This interaction at times can be stressful and sometimes unproductive. This one-day workshop has been designed to introduce participants to a range of tools and techniques to help them understand:
• The strengths and weaknesses of different work preferences and styles
• How to work to their own work-style strengths and those of others
• How to develop effective communication strategies for research projects
• How to deal with creative tension and manage conflict
• How to develop high performance teams of knowledge workers
• How to manage dysfunctional work climates and team members

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $540 + GST
When: Tuesday, 12th September, 2006
Where: The University of Melbourne,
Hawthorn Campus
442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email here

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Defining Research Projects and Deliverables.

ARE YOU INVOLVED IN RESEARCH?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day short course on Defining Research Projects and Deliverables.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who undertakes research. This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
Traditional project management approaches often don’t work for many research projects. By their nature, research projects involve novel tasks with uncertain resource requirements. This one-day workshop has been designed to introduce participants to a range of tools and techniques to help them understand:
• The differences between research project management and traditional project management
• How project management relates to other disciplines
• The unique body of project management knowledge, project maturity and project gate models
• Project scope and how to determine what is in and out of scope
• Common approaches to developing work breakdown structures
• Key issues in defining research project scheduling
• How to manage resources and develop a responsibility matrix
• How to manage research project scheduling and project tradeoffs

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $540 + GST
When: Monday, 11th September, 2006
Where: The University of Melbourne,
Hawthorn Campus
442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Click here for more information.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email here

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Are you a health care professional involved in IMMUNISATION?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne, is pleased to announce that we will be holding a 4 day short course on Clinical Immunisation Research on September 8th, 9th and October 13th, 14th

NUMBERS ARE LIMITED, so be quick!

This course has been designed to equip healthcare professionals involved in immunisation with a practical understanding of how different research designs best answer clinical research questions in immunisation. The curriculum is designed for practising nursing, medical and related professions with an interest in child and adult immunisation.

Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Immunisation and Infectious Diseases)
The 25 points specialist certificate is a Masters level award and is achieved by completion of the two four day subjects, Clinical Immunisation Research and Infectious Diseases, with associated assessment. It provides full credit into the Masters program in Clinical Research.

NEED TO KNOW MORE? CHECK OUT INFORMATION AT: http://www.soe.unimelb.edu.au/iid


Cost: $1975 + GST

When: September 8th 9th and October 13th, 14th

Where: The University of Melbourne
Level 3, 442 Auburn Road
Hawthorn, Victoria Australia 3122

Express your interest in this course and related courses by contacting:

Brad Atkins on (03) 9810 3185 or email here

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Specialist Certificate in Clinical Research (Biomedical Research Management)

Thinking of Further Education?

Enrol now for the July intake in Biomedical Research Management (But hurry as places are restricted to 20 places)

With the longer term goal of creating clinical outcomes for projects in human and animal health, including medical devices and dentistry, this course has been designed for professionals who are involved with running biomedical research projects, those seeking a more senior project management role on such projects and research managers who would like to transfer their project management skills to biomedical projects. This may include staff working in CCRE’s, research organisations, universities, start-up companies, as well as research fellows and postgraduate students.

This course covers all the important areas that effective biomedical research managers need to be conversant with, and make decisions about, to develop sound biomedical research project plans and budgets. The focus is then on developing skills for the proactive management and communication projects where uncertainty is the norm. Finally, assessment is built around demonstrating the ability to apply skills learned to a real work based project.

PART 1 – July 24th – 28th
PART 2 - August 28th – September 1st.

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

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;

Brad Atkins on (03) 9810 3185 or email here

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Turning Technology into Profit

ARE YOU MAKING THE RIGHT DECISIONS?

The School of Enterprise, University of Melbourne are pleased to announce the upcoming 1 day short course on Turning Technology into Profit.

Who is this course for?
This course is for anyone who wants to better understand how to turn technology into a successful business: either inside a large company; as a start-up venture; or starting from academia.
This includes researchers, research project managers, research project administrators, new business and commercialisation
managers, working for publicly or privately funded CRC’s, CCRE’s, research institutes, universities, hospitals, new technology start-ups and spin-out companies, biotech companies and technology incubators.

What will I get out of this course?
Focusing on a systematic, milestone-focused approach to turning a technology into a profitable business, this interactive 1-day seminar will provide participants with a set of tools, and a conceptual framework that can help answer questions such as:
• Where is a project (or venture) on the path between idea and sustainable business?
• How much further (in time and money) do we have to go?
• How much is my idea worth now and what do I need to do to take it to the next level in value?
• What type of financing source will be most suitable for my venture now?
• What do I still need to accomplish if I want to attract venture capital / angel financing?
• What if I want to bootstrap the idea?
• What skill sets do I need in the team, and when do I need them?
• Is it realistic to attract interest from a big company, and how far along do I need to be?
• What aspects of the successful Silicon Valley model for creating new businesses can be exported to Australia, and what prevents us adopting the model in its entirety?

Numbers are limited, so be quick!

Cost: $570 + GST
When: Thursday, 17th August, 2006
Where: University House, The University of Melbourne

NEED TO KNOW MORE?
Download our brochure here.

Express your interest in this course or related courses by contacting;
Elise Strande on (03) 9810 3136 or email here

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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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ISI Web of Knowledge(SM): Getting the right answers, quicker

ISI Web of Knowledge is a single, integrated research environment that helps you easily search a broad variety of evaluated, high quality content in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. In one search – through one interface -- you can access data from journals, conference proceedings, patents, books, and Web sites. And tools such as CrossSearch(SM), cited reference searching, and the Analyze Tool help you search, sort, and analyze the data the way that works best for you.

If you research –You’ll be able to easily explore multidisciplinary information and follow links to additional data; gaining speed with no compromise in the quality or accuracy of results.

If you publish – You’ll easily find high impact articles upon which to base your articles – increasing the quality and credibility of your published work, resulting in more publication in more prestigious sources.

If you teach – Your students will be assured of using the highest quality resources – finding valuable information in sources they may not have the knowledge and experience to seek on their own. They can begin with basic methods of searching, and move on to more precise methods as their experience grows.

For more information see website here, or contact Thomson Scientific directly via email or +61 2 8587 7948 or 1 800 007 214 (from Australia)

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Ernst & Young R&D Services

Would you like to receive a tax break or grant from the government to help your R&D investment stretch further? Do you need government R&D assistance but you are too busy to pursue it? We can help you. Ernst & Young helps hundreds of Australian companies to access substantial R&D benefits each year. We have extensive experience helping companies to access:

• R&D Tax Concession and R&D Tax Offset (cash rebate),


• R&D grants, 


•  Export incentives, and


• other State and Commonwealth grants.

Ernst & Young Australia boasts one of the most experienced and multi-disciplined Innovation & Incentives practices in Australia. Comprising specialists with hands-on expertise in developing technology and leveraging government assistance, Ernst & Young’s team is dedicated to helping clients gain maximum value from their R&D investments. Ernst & Young can help you to select the type of R&D assistance that best suits your company, considering your circumstances, your industry and your R&D projects.

For more information on how Ernst & Young can help, please contact an office near you or visit our website at http://www.ey.com.au

Perth: Robin Parsons (08) 9429 2251
Melbourne: Steven Batrouney (03) 8650 7571
Melbourne: Alun Needham (03) 9288 8099
Sydney: Mark Tafft (02) 8295 6987
Brisbane: Murray Graham (07) 3011 3264
Adelaide: Chris Sharpley (08) 8233 1685

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i d + e - taking a product idea or opportunity and making it a reality.

i d + e is an industrial design and mechanical engineering group that can take a product idea or opportunity and make it a reality. Collectively, i d + e has over 35 years of experience gained in a wide variety of industries developing consumer, medical, industrial and technical products.

i d + e’s business is providing successful commercial outcomes for our clients. i d + e is unique among its peers as our skills and experience span all stages of the product development process from conceptualisation to mass manufacture.

i d + e is flexible and adaptable believing that design is all encompassing, not just aesthetics or technology but the integration of both, design is for the user. This allows i d + e to deliver creative design solutions that are also practical as our engineering expertise means that our designs are developed for real world manufacturing situations.

i d + e prides itself on effective project management on all aspects of product development. A sound development process is the corner stone in creating a truly successful product. However, flexibility to adapt ones processes to real world challenges, is what governs the speed at which that product hits the market and it's ultimate value to the business.

For further information please visit our website here or contact Richard on (02) 9517 4911, or by email here

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Help is only a click of the mouse or a phone call away with AusIndustry

AusIndustry is the Australian Government’s business program delivery division and provides a range of programs that support business innovation.

AusIndustry delivers a range of more than 30 business products, including innovation grants, tax and duty concessions, small business services, and support for industry competitiveness worth nearly $2 billion each year to about 10,000 small and large businesses.

Developing a cutting-edge product, process or service? AusIndustry’s innovation grants program Commercial Ready offers project funding of $50,000 to $5 million for research, development and pre-commercialisation.

The Commercialising Emerging Technologies (COMET) program has a strong focus on mentoring, business management, advice and support and offers grants in the range of $5000 to $120,000.

To help customers with product and eligibility information, AusIndustry has customer service managers located in 26 offices across Australia, a national hotline and website, plus almost 60 Small Business Field Officers in regional areas.

Small businesses play an integral part in the Australian economy. About 95 per cent of all Australian businesses are small business, providing a vital source of jobs, economic growth and innovation.

AusIndustry offers both entitlement and competitive based products. For an entitlement based product, such as a tax concession, a customer qualifies to receive the assistance. For a competitive or merit-based product, such as an innovation grant, applicants compete on merit for limited funds, based on their application.

To subscribe to the AusIndustry e-bulletin or to ‘email updates’ about specific AusIndustry products, visit the AusIndustry website or call the AusIndustry hotline on 13 28 46 for more information

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