Minister announces Biotechnology Fellowships

Wednesday, 7 August 2002

South Australia's bioscience industry has been given a boost in the lead up to National Science Week, with the establishment of a $1.5 million Biotechnology Fellowship Fund from Bio Innovation SA, to bring eminent scientists to South Australia.

Bio Innovation SA (the State Government's bioscience industry development body) will provide $500,000 towards a Fellowship at the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia and Flinders University.

The Minister for Science and Information Economy, Dr Jane Lomax- Smith, says the Biotechnology Fellowship Fund will bring internationally renowned scientists to South Australia's three universities.

"Fellowships are considered the best long-term investment for research and economic development and this initiative will enable the universities to appoint eminent scientists for five years," Dr Lomax- Smith says.

"These Fellowships will give South Australia's science students and researchers the chance to be taught by and work with some of the leaders in this fast-changing field and will ensure our bioscience research continues to receive international recognition.

"With matching funding from the University of Adelaide, the University of South Australia and Flinders University, the Biotechnology Fellowships represent an injection of $3 million into the State's bioscience industry, plus a substantial amount in research grants which they will be able to attract.

"I am pleased this initiative has been in partnership with the three Universities," she says.

"The State Government has already allocated $12 million over five years to the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics at the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus and these Fellowships further demonstrate the fact that South Australia is taking the lead on biotechnology."

The Director and CEO of Bio Innovation SA, Dr Jurgen Michaelis, says Bio Innovation SA's aim is to invest in scientific excellence to ensure the research conducted here remains at the cutting edge.

"The three Fellows will be in place at the universities within 12 months and will be instrumental in further developing South Australia's bioscience industry and we look forward to working with the Fellows in the coming years," Dr Michaelis says.

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