$2.4M BOOST FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH WITH INDIA

$2.4M BOOST FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH WITH INDIA
Top scientists will receive funding for cutting-edge research into everything from bioenergy and biofuels to vaccines and medical diagnostics as part of a joint multi-million dollar program with India.

The Indo-Australian Biotechnology Fund is part of the $65 million Australia-India Strategic Research Fund.

The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, said eight collaborative projects between Australian and Indian scientists would receive $2.4 million.  Matching funding will be provided by the Indian Government.

"This funding will further strengthen the important bilateral relationship between Australia and India," Senator Carr said.

"Some of the leading scientists in biotechnology will form partnerships to tackle the big issues facing communities in Australia and India - such as growing healthy crops and making wheat and rice more resistant to disease.

"This fund is a joint initiative of the Australian and Indian governments. It is Australia's largest bilateral research fund, providing $65 million over eight years from 2006-07.

"India is a strong research nation in its own right and an important partner in work undertaken here in Australia."

Projects to be supported under Round 4 of the fund include:

 

  • establishing an Australian-Indian collaboration on sustaining crop productivity under stress conditions caused by chemical or physical influences such as temperature and water;
  • a project to improve management of diabetic ulcers by identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers;
  • engineering novel disease resistance in wheat and rice; and
  • assessing the role of cyanobacteria in solar bio-fuel and carbon sequestration.

Other projects supported by the fund are in nutraceuticals, functional foods, and bioremediation.

 

For further information on the fund, please visit www.innovation.gov.au.

Successful projects are below.

Media contacts:

 

  • Aban Contractor, Minister's Office, 0457 989 842

•Mary Finlay, Department, (02) 6213 6151, 0412 975 286

 

 

Project Title
 Australian Organisation
 Indian Organisation
 Funding $
 
Approaches to develop an effective HCV vaccine
 Women's and Children's Health Research Institute

 
 Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
 $300,000
 
Identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers to improve management of diabetic ulcers
 Queensland University of Technology
 Manipal University
 $299,917
 
Molecular recognition between alkane hydroxylase and rubredoxin in alkane-degrading bacteria
 Monash University
 Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
 $297,838
 
Extraction and purification of sorghum seed protein for delayed delivery of bioactives
 Curtin University of Technology
 Institute of Chemical Technology
 $299,673
 
Solar bio-fuel and carbon sequestration with cyanobacteria: Role of genetic networks
 Monash University
 Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai
 $296,461
 
Rational development and evaluation of an effective vaccine for the prevention of Staphylococcal Mastitis in bovines using mouse mastitis as a model system
 Curtin University of Technology
 Bharat Biotech Foundation
 $300,000
 
Molecular approaches for sustaining crop productivity under abiotic stress conditions
 The University of Melbourne
 International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
 $300,000
 
Engineering novel disease resistance in wheat and rice by silencing disease susceptibility genes
 CSIRO Plant Industry
 Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
 $300,000