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CRC bid is successful

MCKIRDYS — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:21:35 +0000

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

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

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

Simon

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Projects submitted

MCKIRDYS — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:13:27 +0000

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

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

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

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

Simon

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Progression to interview

MCKIRDYS — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:18:56 +0000

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

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

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

Simon

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

Rebid submitted

MCKIRDYS — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:20:18 +0000

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

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

Thanks to everyone who contributed to complete the submission.

Simon

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

Rebid almost due for submission

MCKIRDYS — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:40:44 +0000

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

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

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

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

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

Our innovative research is rewarded

MCKIRDYS — Tue, 31 May 2011 01:26:35 +0000

The award is determined by a panel of innovation experts. With 42 CRCs currently funded it is feather in our cap to receive the award.

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

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

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

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

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

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

RMN project wins innovation award

CRICHTONA — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:49:29 +0000

The Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity (CRCNPB) has been recognised for the groundbreaking research it has been undertaking, winning an Award for Excellence in Innovation for its Remote Microscope Network (RMN).

The award was presented by Professor Margaret Sheil – CEO of the Australian Research Council – at the annual CRC Association Conference Awards Dinner, which was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 18 May.

The new RMN system, which links field officers with national and international experts, has enabled a dramatic speed-up in the identification of exotic insects and diseases which may pose a threat to crops and the environment in Australia.

The RMN is used in conjunction with the Plant Biosecurity Toolbox (PBT), which includes high quality images as well as information about the distribution. Together they enable field officers to identify pests quickly and accurately, and respond to any threats. This could save millions of dollars in eradication costs and lost market access for Australian producers.

CRCNPB CEO Dr Simon McKirdy, who accepted the award on behalf of the project team, said the project pioneered the use of existing technologies to develop a new and innovative approach to diagnostics for the plant health community.

A promotional video, which was shown at the Awards Dinner and highlights the innovative work the RMN has achieved, can be viewed here.

To find out more about the RMN and the award, read the CRCNPB award submission.

CEO disappointed as 2011-12 budget reduces CRC program funding

MCKIRDYS — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:23:39 +0000

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

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

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

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

Re-bid progress is positive

MCKIRDYS — Thu, 05 May 2011 06:24:28 +0000

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

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

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

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

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

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.

CEO focuses on re-bid

MCKIRDYS — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:25:01 +0000

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

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

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

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

To view Simon's Blog in full click here.