New era dawns for abricultural research

2005 marks a significant point in Murdoch’s research profile with the enhanced opportunities for agriculture research afforded by the formation of a Research partnership with Department of Agriculture WA (DAWA), Curtin University of Technology, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia and proposed relocation of the DAWA headquarters and biosecurity capability to the Murdoch University Campus on South Street.

The partnership will result in integration of the agriculture research in WA and a focus on delivering the outcomes required by the State. A major opportunity for developing agricultural science and practice in WA will be provided by the collocation of the Department of Agriculture’s cereal breeding and animal production at the South Street campus of Murdoch University. We have a long history of collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and other research groups, and have established productive relationships that have benefi ted the State’s industries and contributed the wealth of WA.

Murdoch University is justifi ably proud of its profi le in the Agricultural Sciences. Murdoch staff are leaders in cereal breeding, meat quality and biosecurity. The School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC) and the Centre for Bioinformatics and Biological Computing (CBBC) are internationally recognised for their excellence in agricultural research. The research facilities at Murdoch University for agricultural research, particularly in molecular biotechnology are second to none. The SABC has enabling molecular laboratories for 120 resident researchers and supports R&D of a further 103 researchers from academic, government and commercial organisations.

Murdoch University has provided signifi cant agricultural research capability to the Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program through its membership of the Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease, Australian Sheep Industry CRC, CRC for Cattle and Beef Quality and the Molecular Plant Breeding CRC. From 2006 Murdoch University will contribute to a further three agriculture CRCs awarded recently: the CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry, the National Plant Biosecurity CRC and the CRC for Sustainable Production Forestry.

Finally, it is my pleasure to congratulate two staff members who are recipients of major research awards. Associate Professor Dave Pethick was awarded the Howard M Yelland Prize for Services to the Beef Industry. This award is made by the Beef Improvement Association of Australia and is considered the most prestigious Beef Industry prize in Australia. It is awarded only in those years when there is considered a worthy nominee and this is the fi rst time that a Western Australian has won the award. Professor Andrew Thompson was awarded the 2005 WAAVP Bayer HealthCare Award for Excellence in Research. This international award honours contributions to research that are recognized as outstanding and signifi cant to the advancement of knowledge in veterinary parasitology and/or the control of parasitic diseases and is awarded only on alternate years.

Professor John Yovich
Vice Chancellor, Murdoch University