| SUMMARY OF THIS R&D INFO, 10 October 2002 NEWS
ALERTS CALL
FOR NOMINATIONS CONFERENCES EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES BUSINESS
SERVICES
1. ALP RELEASES INNOVATION DISCUSSION PAPER The Federal
Labor Party has called for comment on a discussion paper on innovation
and industry policy released recently as part of the policy review initiated
by leader, Simon Crean. The paper presents an `Innovation Report Card'
which ranks Australia 17th among 28 OECD countries across three sets of
indicators: usage of information technology and communications; production
and exports of technology intensive goods; and R&D effort. It raises
a number of key issues for comment, including the need to strengthen and
better target the R&D tax concession; supporting innovation in internationally-oriented
SMEs; government support for commercialising Australian inventions; establishing
major new science parks; and local content policies for major projects
receiving Commonwealth assistance. 2. ALP HIGHER EDUCATION STATEMENT The Australian
Labor Party has outlined its vision for the Australian higher education
system, making it clear that it will support a diverse research effort,
recognising that “all universities have research strengths that
must continue to be supported and allowed to flourish”. 3. CSIRO REDUNDANCIES TRIGGER FUNDING CONCERNS The CSIRO
Land and Water Division has announced that 26 jobs have been made redundant,
mostly from the Division's eco toxicology and remediation of contaminated
land and water research units. 4. TECH START-UPS FROM VICTORIAN COMMERCIALISATION PROGRAM The Victorian Government has claimed that its $20 million Technology Commercialisation Program, which funds the delivery of private sector services to start-up technology companies, has been instrumental in establishing 130 start-up companies, including 27 linked to publicly funded research organisations. The Innovation Minister, John Brumby, said that in 2001-02, the 12 TCP partners attracted $39 million in private sector funding to bring total investment into new businesses to $64 million. More details of the program are provided in The Scitech Technology Directory, available from Hallmark Editions, http://www.halledit.com.au. 5. MANUFACTURING R&D GROWS FROM TINY BASE A study undertaken by the Australian Industry Group of R&D activity in the manufacturing sector has found that, after four consecutive years of decline, the improvement in manufacturing R&D activity identified in 2000/01 has continued into 2001/02 and is likely to be improved upon in 2002/03. However, the report warns that the improvements are cyclical and “off the back of stronger profit performance”, and that a slowdown in the sector could see these gains halted or reversed in later years. The report also found that 96% of manufacturing firms undertake no R&D activity, and current R&D activity is equivalent to less than the average cost of a firm’s electricity bill. The report, `Research and Development Expenditure and Drivers in Australian Manufacturing’, can be downloaded at http://www.aigroup.asn.au/public4.html. _______________________________ 6. 2003 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS - ARC Expert Advisory Committees The Australian Research Council (ARC) is a prestigious, national agency that works with the broad research community to support the advancement of knowledge and contribute to national innovation. The ARC is seeking people with a variety of expertise and experience, drawn from higher education, industry and business sectors and public sector research organisations to become members of its Expert Advisory Committees. Membership will commence in 2003 and will be for between two and three years. Members will be expected to have a wide range of expertise relevant to the ARC's programs in one of the following areas: Biological
Sciences and Biotechnology As well as playing a role in the assessment of grant applications, the Expert Advisory Committees provide strategic advice to the ARC on emerging disciplinary and cross-disciplinary developments and innovative approaches to research. Nominations should be submitted through your employer, on the ARC's Expert Advisory Committee electronic nomination form, which includes the selection criteria. This form can be obtained from the ARC's web site at http://www.arc.gov.au. The closing date for nominations is Wednesday 6 November 2002. If you have any questions, please contact Mr David Hine at the ARC by telephone on (02) 6284 6666 or email david.hine@arc.gov.au. Nominations will be regarded as confidential and will only be seen by those people working directly with the nomination process. __________________________________ 7. THE MOVING
TOWARDS THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY CONFERENCE Leading governments worldwide are transforming knowledge into powerful economic and social outcomes. Australia's Chief Scientist Robyn Batterham says Australia's prime Knowledge Economy Agenda must be to jump-start smaller companies and help them grow and successfully compete in global markets. He says regional collaborations and clusters with a focus on innovation and excellence will deliver massive economic results for industry and R&D alike. The two-day Moving Towards the Knowledge Economy Conference, an initiative of the NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney, is the first in Australia to explore the global Knowledge Economy through leaders and innovators from Ireland, Israel, Singapore and the USA. They will tell first-hand how they orchestrated successful national knowledge agendas. Researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators from Australia and around the world will deliver their stories from the corporate front-line, and delegates will meet renowned International and Australian speakers face to face in interactive brainstorming sessions that will reveal - * How to leverage
partnerships with industry NSW Premier Bob Carr will launch the Conference, which will be hosted by NSW Minister for Western Sydney and Information Technology, Kim Yeadon. The NSW Government's Office of Western Sydney is taking the lead on this critical national agenda, reinforcing the position that Australia should stop selling off its innovation, instead developing our great ideas into new industries to benefit the national economy. The Moving Towards the Knowledge Economy Conference is vital for leaders of business, those involved in R&D, and policy development. Register online at http://www.keconference.com 8. ATSE ANNUAL
SYMPOSIUM - 'OWNING INNOVATION' Harnessing the innovative spirit of an economy in order to create successful enterprises is not a simple process. Many factors such as seed funds, education, intellectual property protection and market understanding must be in harmony for the innovative process to be effective. This Symposium seeks to identify the possible limitations to innovation and offer a way forward based on contributions from Australian and international experts in their various fields. The speakers
will include: A final objective
of this symposium is to produce a summary document listing outcomes for
presentation to government, other interested bodies, sponsors and Academy
members. VENUES: Australian
Technology Park (ATP), Eveleigh, Dockside, Darling Park, Sydney ____________________________________ 9. PROGRAM
MANAGER - Sugar Research and Development Corporation SRDC is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority that fosters an innovative and sustainable Australian sugar industry through investment in research and development. SRDC seeks an outstanding person to fill the position of Program Manager. As a key member of the SRDC Management Team, you will be responsible for facilitating the development of a credible R&D portfolio consistent with the Corporation's strategic intent, and for managing the on going performance of the R&D portfolio to deliver outcomes that meet stakeholder requirements. You will possess proven experience in R&D project management, in particular project monitoring and evaluation; systems thinking and integration; and adoption of R&D outputs. You will also possess excellent interpersonal skills, including proven ability to facilitate, negotiate, communicate and build strong relationships. Position Description and Selection Criteria are available on the SRDC website http://www.srdc.gov.au. For further information phone (07) 3210 0495. Applications addressing the selection criteria should be emailed to cipson@srdc.gov.au by Monday 28 October. SRDC is an
equal opportunity employer. 10. ERNST & YOUNG R&D SERVICES Small R&D companies in loss should be careful not to miss out on receiving a cash rebate through the new R&D Tax Offset. Companies that have an annual turnover up to $5 million and spend up to $1 million on R&D a year may qualify. The cash rebate will return 37.5 cents in the dollar for companies entitled to a 125% deduction under the Tax Concession. To find out more about this Offset, R&D Tax Concession, EMDG or other R&D assistance please contact Ernst & Young. 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. Perth: Robin Parsons (08) 9429 2251 Adelaide: Terry Zander (08) 8233 7106 Melbourne: Alun Needham (03) 9288 8099 Sydney: Craig Fowler (02) 9248 5308 Brisbane: Lindsay Somerville (07) 3011 3236
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