According to CEO, Dr Roger Campbell, proposals may also be in related areas of pork production, but not be covered in longer term projects and priorities, at least initially.

The projects will be funded for 12 months to a maximum of A$50,000.

The Pork CRC’s four programs are:

• Confinement free sow and piglet management
• Herd health management
• Healthy pork consumption
• Carbon-conscious nutrient inputs and outputs

“Innovation projects may fill knowledge gaps or investigate new science and theories that might develop system changing information and technologies,“ Dr Campbell said.

Applications, which must be lodged with the Pork CRC by strictly no later than September 17, 2012, will be assessed on the impact of the proposed outcomes on the Australian pork industry, the novelty of the research, the potential to develop intellectual property, the quality of the science and experimental approach, the budget and the track record of the researcher or research team to deliver outcomes on time and within budget.

Also being invited are commercialisation projects, which are new and will identify and develop income streams for the Pork CRC and the organisations involved.

Dr Campbell explained that developing income streams fitted with the need to develop an alternative funding model for R&D, given the current Pork CRC would be the last funded under the Commonwealth government’s CRC program.

“Commercialisation proposals will have the same budget and timeframe as innovation proposals, will be judged on their commercial potential and will be reviewed by members of the Pork CRC’s Commercialisation and Adoption Committee,“ he said.

Proposals can be lodged through the Pork CRC website www.porkcrc.com.au

A proposal brief containing more information on the process is also available on the website, as are details of the Pork CRC’s research programs and their milestones.

More than A$7 million of funding has so far been allocated by the Pork CRC in 2012/13.