Prominent Research Institute in Asia

发布时间：2016年05月06日 来源：中国化学会

DELIVERING TOMORROW'S TECHNOLOGIES TODAY
Established in 1926, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is recognized as one of the world's largest, and most diverse, scientific research institutions. Its 6,000 staff working at field stations and laboratories across Australia, cover an equally broad range of interests, including agriculture, minerals and energy, textiles, clothing and footwear, climate and atmosphere, pharmaceuticals and human health, manufacturing, chemicals and plastics, communications, construction, food processing and the environment.
	As a Federal Government statutory agency, CSIRO is responsible to the Australian public through the Cabinet Minister for Industry, Science and Resources. The Organisation is placed within the portfolio of Industry, Science and Resources and has links with many research centres. These include agencies within the same portfolio

such as the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and in other Government Departments, universities and the private sector. 

The Organisation's interaction with various Government agencies at the Federal and State levels, universities and industry continue to grow each year. A leading example is the close collaboration between CSIRO and Macquarie University which led to the construction of the world's first high performance wireless LANs and to the establishment of a successful start-up company.

 

CSIRO complements the role of universities in research training. In 1999, CSIRO supervised 755 post-graduate students for universities throughout Australia, 30 per cent of these through the Organisation's involvement in the Commonwealth's Cooperative Research Centres program. Many CSIRO staff also contribute to the teaching programs of universities and other institutions.

CSIRO also has broad and substantial international links, contributing its expertise to some 700 current or recently completed projects with many countries, particularly those in Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific. These international projects are carried out in a number of ways including through collaboration on a shared cost-benefit basis, aid-funded projects and other contract research and consulting arrangements.

GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS

CSIRO's long-standing commitment to set up world class research teams with other Government providers is illustrated through:

• Food Science Australia - a joint venture with the Victorian Government's Australian Food Industry Science Centre;
• Institute for Molecular Biology - being developed by the Queensland Government, CSIRO and the University of Queensland at the University's St Lucia campus in Brisbane. It will be the largest facility of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere;
• Queensland Centre for Advanced Technology - located at Pinjarra Hills in Brisbane, Queensland, this is a centre for CSIRO and private sector companies engaged in minerals research and its application;
• Australian Resources Research Centre - being established at Bentley, Western Australia as a major facility for minerals and petroleum resources research involving CSIRO and Curtin University;
• Waite Institute in Adelaide, South Australia - an integrated campus with Adelaide University, South Australian Research and Development Institute and CSIRO, this is a key resource for natural resource management in dryland ecosystems.

SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY

CSIRO enters into a variety of commercial arrangements and works closely with leading commercial partners across many industry sectors.  Recent achievements have included work with DuPont, one of the world's largest companies, on developing new technology that makes better, more environmentally friendly polymer resins for automotive coatings.

 

Other examples include:

• CSIRO patented technology has become the basis for world-wide standards for high performance wireless Local Area Networks (LANs) and led to the establishment of a local start-up company, Radiata Communications, which was acquired by CISCO Systems in November 2000 for US$295 million;
• CSIRO is developing a range of home telehealth technologies to allow elderly and chronically ill patients to be cared for more effectively in their own homes;
• CSIRO has provided complete power trains for two low emission cars - ECOmmodore for Holden Ltd and a concept car, the aXcessaustralia Low Emission Vehicle;
• Using a process developed by CSIRO, Flamemag International GIE is set to establish Australia as one of the world's largest producers of flame retardant magnesium hydroxide for use in plastics; and
• The CSIRO Rodent Group, together with colleagues from South East Asian countries, has developed strategies for managing rats in rice agro-ecosystems. This project forms the nucleus of a national rodent management strategy developed by Indonesia.

More than 50 CSIRO spin-off companies generate over A$200 million a year. CSIRO will undertake initiatives to increase the number of spin-off companies where this is the best commercial path.
The Organisation is often called on to provide independent expert advice to Government, playing an important role in the formation of policy relating to science and technology and to the many areas CSIRO's research serves.
CSIRO's total income for research activities for 1999-2000 was A$782.4 million, excluding money paid to the government for use of capital assets. Of that amount, 64.4 % was provided by the government and 35.6 % came from external sources, including competitive granting schemes, research funded by industry and other users and earned revenue.

OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE

CSIRO's research is planned and resourced on a sectoral basis. The Organisation has defined 22 Sectors of the Australian economy under four main Alliances: Agribusiness; Minerals and Energy; Environment and Natural Resources; and Information, Manufacturing and Service Industries. Research is performed by the 23 Divisions of CSIRO. Divisions are largely organised by scientific discipline and most contribute to more than one Sector. 

This matrix relationship between Sectors and Divisions means that CSIRO can tackle industrial and environmental problems with a multidisciplinary approach, assembling the best teams from across the Organisation, regardless of Divisional affiliations.
Sector Advisory Committees with members representing its stakeholders and customers provide input to decisions on research priorities. These Committees assist in the planning of research portfolios for each Sector, providing valuable information about the strategic research needs of industry and society. The Committees help the uptake of research results by industry.
Located around Australia, a continent roughly the same size as continental United States, CSIRO's staff offer world-class expertise, facilities, advice and services covering research in:

Agribusiness

 

Research for such industry sectors as meat, dairy and aquaculture; field crops; textiles, clothing and footwear; food processing and horticulture. Several major initiatives are under way including the development of new consumer textiles, new horticulture varieties and food ingredient innovation. These programs will be balanced by the community's concern for food safety which will be addressed through the establishment of a 'Virtual R&D Centre' in partnership with Industry.

 

Environment and Natural Resources 
Research for industry sectors, including land and water; marine; biodiversity; and climate and atmosphere programs. CSIRO's strengths in land and water management and across many aspects of biodiversity are being increasingly harnessed together to provide solutions for sustainability.

 

Another high-profile area of growth is in all aspects of natural resources management. Here, CSIRO's understanding of the nature and causes of major problems, such as encroaching dryland salinity, is an important factor in informing national policies and programs as well as providing practical management information and tools.

 

Information, Manufacturing and Service Industries

 

Research for industry sectors in information technology and telecommunications; build environment; radio astronomy; services; and measurement standards. Rapid, disruptive technological change from advances in information and communications technologies and biotechnology are shaping the information, manufacturing and service industries.

 

To this end, CSIRO is increasing its emphasis on broadband wireless access technologies, advanced networking, with particular emphasis on quality of service, internet-based service delivery and tools for building distributed computer systems.
Manufacturing-Research in a variety of relevant industry sectors, including integrated manufactured products; pharmaceuticals and human health; and chemicals and plastics (see below for further details). Within engineered manufactures, there are increasingly stringent community expectations and environmental regulations that are likely to affect international trade. 

 

As a result, CSIRO is undertaking a major initiative in sustainable manufacturing.  Manufacturing utilizing nanoscale building blocks is an area received increasing emphasis worldwide, and within CSIRO, work is underway to develop products based on such building blocks assembled using biomimetic engineering.

 

Minerals and Energy

 

Research in such industry sectors as mineral processing and metal production; energy; mineral exploration and mining; and petroleum. The strategic directions reflected in this sector represent a significant reshaping of many of its activities.

Additional resources have been directed to finding new generation giant ore deposits and to efficiency, safety and cost in the mining, coal and mineral processing industries. There is emphasis on a whole-of-life approach to mining and the environment, on the development and transfer of new technologies to the market, and on improvement in processes and asset utilisation.

 

More information about CSIRO can be found at http://www.csiro.au

CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS SECTOR

A number of CSIRO Divisions contribute to research for the Chemicals and Plastics Sector of the Australian economy. This work includes a leading edge push in bioprocessing, substantial effort in new polymer development and behavior, continued research into innovative applications such as smart packaging and specialty chemical products, and a focus on the application of cleaner chemical processing technologies. Planned expenditure by CSIRO and its industry partners in this area of research for the 2000 - 2003 time period is $88.5 million.

 

A classic example of CSIRO's recent work in this area is the development of more than three billion polymer banknotes now used as currency in 20 countries.  The new banknotes are based on CSIRO's original concept and current research continues to develop new security features to fight modern counterfeiting techniques.

 

Other achievements include: 
New Biodegradable Packaging 
CSIRO, with the CRC for Food and Packaging, has developed new biodegradable packaging materials based on starch. The benefits of these materials are two-fold: the raw materials are derived from a renewable resource, in contrast to the petrochemical-derived plastics currently used, and the starch-based materials will break down in compost heaps and thereby reduce the amount of packaging waste ending up in landfill. These new packaging materials have been successfully trialled on full-scale equipment by several interested companies this year and commercial production of at least one application is anticipated.

Biopesticides gather momentum
BioCaneTM (manufactured by BioCare Technology Pty Ltd, Sydney), a fungus-based product developed by CSIRO and the Bureaux of Sugar Experiment Stations in collaboration with BioCare Technology, for control of the grey-backed canegrub, was granted full registration by the National Registration Authority in March 2000. The product, which contains spores of a naturally occurring fungal pathogen, was launched at a sugar conference in Bundaberg in May 2000. Green GuardTM, a product for locust and grasshopper control, based on spores of another strain of the same fungus, is close to registration. During the year, CSIRO's nematode biopesticide technology was licensed to The Clean River Company for global marketing, production and distribution.

Grain storage technology commercialised
CSIRO has signed an agreement with United Phosphorus Limited, a world-leading manufacturer of aluminum phosphide, to commercialize new technology for the fumigation of grain storages. The invention, from CSIRO's Stored Grain Research Laboratory, is a new formulation of aluminium phosphide that is inherently safer than current formulations. It will be used in a portable generator for the controlled production and delivery of phosphine to fumigate grain storages. The new technology will be made commercially available to the Australian grain storage industry in time for next harvest season Global commercialization will then follow.

MIEX Plant comes on-line

 

Orica Australia recently opened its $10million, 300 tonne per year, MIEXâ resin manufacturing plant in Melbourne.  Its first customer will be the new Wanneroo Groundwater Treatment Plant recently announced by the Water Corporation of Western Australia.  Scheduled to open in 2001, Wanneroo will be the first plant in the world to use the MIEXâ DOC process to remove dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from drinking water.

 

The process was developed by Orica Watercare, CSIRO and the South Australian Water Corporation and is being marketed internationally. Orica and CSIRO are now working on a new generation of resins designed to withstand the harsh conditions encountered in mineral processing. 

Surface Engineering of Polymers 

 

General Motors-Holden has commenced production of Commodore VT-Series II vehicles with Body Side Mouldings that are surface-modified by the CSIRO developed SICOR process, which enhances the adhesion of painted body panels, making them non-detachable. The introduction of SICOR completely eliminated component failure which is now at an unprecedented "zero-rate".

 

The components are manufactured at Socobell, Melbourne and assembled at Holden's plant in Elizabeth, South Australia. The production is carried out under the GM-CSIRO licence agreement. Both GM and CSIRO are currently verifying the applicability of SICOR process in a broader range of commercial applications.

Ultrafine Nucleating Agents 
With Micronisers Pty Ltd and Uniqema Pty Ltd, CSIRO has developed methods to produce nucleating agents for polyolefins, with ultrafine, sub-micron particle size. These additives enhance polymer clarity and mechanical properties, finding use in diverse applications from food containers to automotive bumper bars. Commercial production of these additives began in early 2000 and sales are occurring in both local and export markets.

Aligned Carbon Nanotube Research 
An Australian advance in carbon nanotube technology paves the way for a completely new type of television and computer flat screen. The breakthrough technology allows for control of carbon nanotubes to forge alignments or patterns with specific electrical, magnetic, optical and mechanical properties. A research collaboration between CSIRO and the European high-tech company, Electrovac, will focus on flat screen technology that is expected to generate a multi-million-dollar market worldwide within a few years.

New Parasiticide Contract with Schering-Plough 
CSIRO Molecular Science and Schering-Plough Animal recently announced a research agreement that aims to find new chemicals that will overcome the shortcomings of existing parasiticides. Worldwide, more than $US2.5 billion is spent annually on chemical agents for the control of animal diseases caused by parasites and there is a need for more effective products. The researchers hope to find new parasiticides that are selectively toxic only to specific parasites, and therefore safe to all other non-target organisms in the environment. If successful, the research will provide new drug leads for use in animal health. The Project will partner CSIRO's insecticide chemistry and commercially focused Australian entomological research with Schering-Plough Animal Health's development and commercialization expertise. CSIRO will employ and train young Australian postdoctoral research scientists to undertake part of the extensive synthetic chemistry required for this exercise, thereby maintaining and enhancing the skill bases in industrial biological and chemical research in Australia.

CSIRO's MOLECULAR SCIENCE FOCUS

 

CSIRO'S Molecular Science Division conducts most of the Organisation's research for the Chemicals and Plastics Sector. Its expertise lies mainly in the application of chemical and biological science. The Division is typical of the way in which the Organisation's many groups work, both on projects within its own area and in close collaboration with scientists and researchers at other Divisions as well as with other leading industry, Government and public research teams.

 

This group employs over 230 staff, including 135 scientists with laboratories in both Melbourne and Sydney. Research is carried out in three strategic areas - Bioprocessing, Applied Chemistry and Molecular Engineering. Core skills include: organic, polymer, process and computational chemistry; molecular and cellular biology; protein chemistry; colloid and interface science; and waste management technology. 
The Division also contributes to research for the Pharmaceuticals and Human Health Sector in areas such as biomaterials (extended wear contact lenses, biocompatible heart valves), tissue engineering, antivirals, and diagnostics and therapeutics for prostate cancer. 

 

There is also research carried out for the Built Environment Sector in areas such as the treatment of drinking water, sewage, and industrial waste sludges. For more information on CSIRO's Molecular Science activities, contact: Gerry Scheltinga, Marketing Co-ordinator on 61 3 9545 2468 or via email: gerry.scheltinga@molsci.csiro.au

CSIRO's International office is located in Canberra and can be contacted    via telephone on + 61 2 6276 6444;    Facsimile + 61 2 6276 6292 or via email: Ta-Yan.Leong@gbi.csiro.au   More details on   http://www.csiro.au/international/index.html