Cooperative Research Australia has welcomed the announcement today that the Cooperative Research Centre for Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food and Environments (CRC SAAFE) has been confirmed as the newest Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in the first of the Round 23 CRCs announced.
Minister for Science and Technology, the Hon Melissa Price MP announced that CRC SAAFE would receive $34.5 million in Australian Government funding under Round 23 of the CRC Program, which will deliver a total of $154.4 million in funding to bring research organisations and industry together to solve major challenges facing Australia.
CRC SAAFE will leverage more than $112 million in cash and in-kind contributions from 53 partners, working across five states and territories, over a 10-year period to help solve antimicrobial resistance challenges posing a growing threat to Australia’s food, agribusiness, and environmental sectors.
The CRC, led by the University of South Australia, will undertake work with partners who include five universities plus research organisations such as the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and the South Australian Research and Development Institute.
“Antimicrobial resistance is one of the great challenges of our time, threatening to upend the way we cope with infections in humans, animals and plants. In 2020, the US Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Brett P. Giroir, named antimicrobial resistance as the existential threat of this century,” said CRA CEO Jane O’Dwyer.
“This is a critical investment in Australia’s capacity to tackle this problem at the source.”
“CRC SAAFE brings together an unbeatable group of researchers and industry partners. It is guaranteed to return many more times to the Australian economy the investment of the Australian Government, State Governments, Universities and partners, as well as protect the wellbeing of all of us.”
“Congratulations to CEO of CRC SAAFE, University of South Australia Environmental Scientist Professor Erica Donner, Chair Karlene Maywald, and the whole team who developed the bid. Round 23 of the CRC Program has been marked by the high quality of applications and an incredibly competitive field.”
More information on the CRC Program is available here.
