Sweet deal for sugar research

The future of sugar research is looking sweet with CSIRO Plant Industry joining Australia's best sugar researchers and organisations in a new Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) to develop the potential of Australian sugarcane.

Established mid 2003 the CRC for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology aims to increase sugar yield and sugar content of sugarcane, reduce negative environmental impact and value-add to the products of sugarcane to improve its suitability as a source of various biomaterials.

Leader of one of the CRC's research programs, Dr John Manners of CSIRO Plant Industry, says that the CRC will provide a sustainable competitive edge to the Australian sugarcane industry, which will be critical to its success in a competitive global industry.

"As part of the CRC we expect to be able to deliver new high value sugarcane varieties, improved farm management techniques, and technologies required for commercial production of biomaterials from sugarcane," says Dr Manners.

"Our research will be built from a biotechnology base enabling us to effectively protect it for the exclusive benefit of the Australian sugarcane industry by taking out intellectual property rights."

The CRC will pool the resources of the best research organisations with sugar industry expertise so that superior research outcomes can be developed with an effective outlet for delivering them straight to the Australian sugarcane industry.

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