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With the SKA, everyone's a winner |
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One step closer to treating MS |
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Biotech spinout success | ||
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Social media tool Vizie wows at CeBIT |
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Total Wellbeing Diet: back again! |
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Traineeships available | ||
In BriefPlant your seed with us
The ‘I’ in CSIRO is fundamental to what we do and who we are. You might be surprised to know just how extensive our engagement with industry is. The industry work we do improves companies’ competitiveness and allows them to reach new markets in Australia and overseas. In the 2011 financial year, we worked with more than 1,700 Australian private sector organisations, including 600 ‘Big Australians’ like Orica, Telstra, SKM, Murray-Goulburn Co-operative and Woodside and 1,100 small-to-medium enterprises. We also worked with a further 400 multinational corporations – including globally recognised companies such as Boeing, Bayer, Petronas, Fonterra and GE. Through our work with industry, we help deliver benefit to local communities, directly and indirectly supporting the creation of many thousands of value added, knowledge economy jobs. We are active in allowing companies access to our IP, and grant around 80 new commercial licenses every year, many of which are with SMEs. As one pathway to impact, we sometimes spin out companies – more than 150 to date - directly creating new, high technology SMEs. Currently we have interests in 34 spin out companies, which have a market capitalisation of $1bn, generate $120m in annual sales and have created over 300 jobs. Creating positive impact is a big driver of all of this activity, so we systematically partner with companies of all sizes, best placed to take new technologies to market, and provide benefit to Australia. Oona Nielssen |
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Top of the newsWith the SKA, everyone's a winner
We’ve been talking about it for a while, but finally a decision has been made, with the €1.5 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope to be hosted at two sites: one in Western Australia and the other in South Africa. The split site arrangement, which will see sets of antennas with complementary frequencies be placed in the each region was judged by the SKA Organisation to be the best approach in delivering the SKA for both scientific and financial reasons. With preliminary SKA science operations due to take place by 2020, we’ll be hoping to answer some of the most fundamental questions of 21st century astronomy and physics - things like dark matter, dark energy, the nature of gravity, the origins of the first stars and galaxies, the generation of magnetic fields in space, and even potentially, whether life exists beyond our planet. Our astronomer Lisa Harvey-Smith wrote a great explainer article for The Conversation. She also featured on ABC News if you prefer a bit of video. |
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Social media tool Vizie wows at CeBIT
Vizie is a new social media engagement tool transforming the way organisations listen, understand and respond to customer feedback from social media. Vizie took centre stage at Australia’s biggest IT trade show CeBIT last week, where we showcased some of our ICT and services innovations. These included: - remote tech support - smarter, safer homes - real-time augmented reality maps - intelligent energy management - 3D flood modelling Read more about Vizie here. |
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One step closer to treating MS
Last week it was announced that $6.6m would be injected into an international research project that will focus on the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The hope is that the three-year project will take the scientific community one step closer to developing novel treatments for MS patients. Our role will be to produce the right type of cells needed to conduct the stem cell research essential to this project. The last thing you want are cells that react badly or behave peculiarly in the body. Read more here. |
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Total Wellbeing Diet: back again!
The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet: Fast and Fresh Recipes book was released a few weeks ago, amid a flurry of media activity. The latest addition to Australia’s best-selling diet book series provides a host of meal ideas for those following the program, and a delicious introduction to a healthy eating plan for those trying the diet for the first time. “Our TWD devotees had told us they needed inspiration for simple recipes based on the principles of the diet plan that could be prepared quickly. Our new book has been developed with them in mind,” says Dr Manny Noakes, co-author of the TWD books. Fast and Fresh Recipes offers 120 new recipes for individuals and families who are on the go and looking for quick, flavoursome meal ideas. More info on the CSIRO Publishing page here.
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The Business
One of our biotech spinout companies recently reached a milestone of $500 million market capitalisation. Starpharma (ASX.SPL) was initially founded on technology discovered at the Biomolecular Research Institute, a 50/50 joint venture between CSIRO and the Victorian State Government. Having developed and commercialised dendrimer technology (a type of synthetic nanoscale polymer), Starpharma has grown to become one of Australian biotechnology’s stand out success stories. Its lead product VivaGel is currently in Phase 3 trials for treatment of bacterial vaginosis, and is also being developed as a preventative for genital herpes, the human papillomavirus and HIV. Starpharma recently reached the milestone of $500 million market capitalisation and in 2011 joined the ASX-300 index. Read more on the Starpharma website.
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On the record
How do the gears of a bike have anything to do with climate modes? Wait, what are climate modes? James Risbey makes great use of metaphor in this piece for The Conversation about climate system variability. Sticking to climate, Iain Walker wrote this piece about attitudes towards climate change. He argues that research shows that in this country we are actually close to a consensus that climate change is happening. Even if we do have a consensus, what about all those continued carbon emissions? Paul Feron updates us on our work in carbon capture technology in this article. Get reading! |
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Or not. Listen to our podcasts on how our science will contribute to Rio+20 and that amazing plasma flashlight that can heal wounds. |
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#4oclockfact
An estimated 3 million tonnes or $5 billion of food is wasted every year in Australia.
Get more #4oclockfact
Our people
A big congrats to Hobart-based oceanographer Steve Rintoul who was awarded the prestigious 2012 Martha T. Muse Prize for Science and Policy in Antarctica for his outstanding research on the Southern Ocean.
His research over the last 25 years has lead to a new understanding of the structure, dynamics and variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the largest ocean current on Earth.
He has also shown how the Southern Ocean circulation links the shallow and deep layers of the ocean to form a global network of ocean currents that strongly influences climate patterns.
Watch Steve explain how the ocean affects the climate in this video.
A quick aside
Start your career with us.
You have a few days left to apply for (or tell your friends about) the eleven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeships we're offering.
Nine traineeships are in the HR, business admin, lab techniques and marine areas- apps close this Friday. Info here.
We also have two technical traineeships in Armidale, for those interested in a Cert III in Agriculture- apps close on Monday. Info here.
We'll be advertising some Cadetship opportunities for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders in the coming weeks, so keep your eye on our Positions Vacant page.
Don't miss it
Transit of Venus
Tomorrow!
It won't happen again for over a century so make sure you take some time to watch Venus make its journey across the Sun. You can watch it in real-time online here.
If you have an iPhone or Android phone, take part in a global experiment with the free VenusTransit phone app.
NAIDOC Week
1-8 July 2012
To celebrate NAIDOC Week 2012, our Ro Hill, a human geographer working with Indigenous communities on collaborative environmental conservation and management, will deliver the Jack Cusack Memorial Lecture.
From Daly to Darwin, a collection of work by respected photographer Darren Clark, will be exhibiting at our Discovery Centre in Canberra.
Also in the news
Enquiries: Huw Morgan + 61 8 8303 8857 / + 61 417 834 547 / huw.morgan@csiro.au
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