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Women in Business: Michèle Stokes PhD GAICD, General Manager, PCI, Melbourne

Explain to readers what you do I am the General Manager for PCI, Melbourne. PCI is an integrated contract development and manufacturing organisation that offers a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical services, from early development to commercial launch, and beyond. In Australia, we specifically focus on early development and supporting clinical studies with capabilities to manufacture, pack, label and distribute to clinical study sites. We offer a range of services to manufacture drug products in various dosage formats, including sterile vials through our new automated fill-finish technology. Where are the growth areas for your company? The main growth areas for PCI in Australia will be expanding across the Asia-Pacific markets and further developing our sterile fill-finish capabilities to support clinical studies in the region. Australia is a very attractive market for pharmaceutical companies to conduct their clinical studies, and with our breadth of expertise and offerings, we are well positioned to support this growth. Contract Development – What does this mean for PCI? PCI supports organisations ranging from startups to mid- to large-scale pharmaceutical companies in placing treatments in clinical studies as quickly as possible. This could involve assisting with dosage format selection, initial clinical batch manufacture, scale-up batches, drug stability support and supplying clinical trial materials to sites to aid in all phases of clinical studies prior to commercialisation. We can support the whole process, or partner on certain areas where the sponsor pharmaceutical company needs additional assistance or expertise. How are you finding staff retention at present? The world has changed in the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, employees are evaluating their work-life balance in a different way. PCI has worked hard to find ways to increase staff retention through various initiatives, with consultation to add incentives to the working environment and flexible […]

SmartSat commits AU$1M+ to research ects for NSW’s Space Qualification Mission Waratah Seed

It is an historic project to help establish foundational capabilities in the NSW space sector and the Australian space industry as a whole.

Australia a living testament to the benefits of productivity growth

-Professor Stephen King, Monash University An average worker today puts in 14 fewer hours per week and takes home a real wage six times that of the average worker in 1901 – all because we are producing more per hour worked. And yet in the past decade that rate of improvement has slowed. Over the 60 years to 2019-20, labour productivity (production per hour worked) grew at an average of 1.8% per year, which sounds small but compounds each year. In the most recent of those decades, the decade to 2020, growth fell to just 1.1% – a drop of one-third. If it remains that low we will be much worse off in decades to come than we would be if we could get back to the kind of growth we had. That’s one of the reasons I was excited to work on the Productivity Commission’s second five-yearly productivity report, released by Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Victims of our own success In some ways, Australia has been a victim of its success. It has a robust and highly productive economy, especially in mining and agriculture where it is among the world’s leaders. But, as productivity growth in mining and agriculture has made us wealthier, we have demanded more services, such as holidays, housecleaning, childcare and after-school care, gyms and home-delivered food. Now employing 90% of our workers and accounting for 80% of our economy, services are harder to make more productive, and as our population ages they are likely to account for an even greater share of what we do. In government-funded non-market services such as health, education and public administration, measured labour productivity growth has been close to zero since the turn of the century. If we want to continue to improve our standard of living, we are going to have […]

Women in Construction for Int'l Womens' Day. 28th Feb 2023

Meet the women working in construction at the Australian War Memorial

This International Women’s Day the Australian War Memorial is highlighting some of the key women working on the Development project. Representing a variety of backgrounds, skills and experience, these women bring their expertise to this multi-faceted, long term construction project. All three are motivated by the once-in-a-career opportunity it represents. “I love my job. It’s a job that was made for me. Knowing that you’re part of the story of the next generation of this building is pretty exciting,” Rebecca Conway, Project Manager for the new Southern Entrance, said. “It’s important to see the range of opportunities you can get out of a career in construction. Four out of five project managers working on the development are female, which is a great statistic.” Working alongside Rebecca is Philippa Seldon, Operations Manager (ACT) at Kane Constructions and Founder of the Healthy Tradie Project. With more than 10 years’ experience in the construction sector, Philippa brings an empathetic and innovative approach to her work. “The Healthy Tradie Project was borne out of my brother’s suicide. He was a carpenter and following his death in 2009 it was only natural that I gravitated toward supporting those who I work with every day,” she said. “Every Thursday starts with a pre-start movement session. We see smiles, we see laughter and a huge boost in morale on those days,” Ms Seldon said. Hayley Delmenico, an apprentice electrician, is one of the youngest tradies on site. Growing up in Canberra ensured familiarity with the Memorial; the opportunity to be a part of its development was too good to pass up. “I thought it would be really exciting to be able to work with my hands. This is a very significant place for a lot of people and just being able to say that you worked on it and being proud of it […]

Girl Geek Academy calls on government to increase funding for Girls in STEM

The federal Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, says the “Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review” won’t be complete until the end of this year and Girl Geek Academy says that is too long to wait for funding new programs to increase the number of women and girls in STEM. “With ‘Women in STEM’ programs under review for most of this year, we currently don’t anticipate any new funding commitments until 2024. The government’s third year in office is far too late to wait, we need action now,” said Girl Geek Academy co-founder, Sarah Moran. “While we are supportive of the review of ‘Women in STEM’ programs and hope it eventuates in more funding made available in the long term, we cannot ignore the short term fact that women and girls are falling behind. Ahead of the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February), the United Nations highlights in cutting edge fields such as artificial intelligence, only one in five professionals (22%) is a woman. Girl Geek Academy trained over 1000 high school girls in A.I. in virtual classes without government support and had been hopeful that a change of government would bring about fresh funding to support the growth of similar programs. “There has been a drought of these type of programs as most organisations, typically run by women, have not survived the impacts of the pandemic. Girl Geek Academy lost 99.9% of our cash flow overnight when COVID hit and the only reason we still exist is because I went and got a day job to keep us alive. “The government must act as we know women and girls have already slipped too far behind. We’re calling for a solid investment in programs for the May budget to secure much needed support for women in industry to “lift […]

Australia – India strategic research grants now open

Australian researchers can today apply for a share of $6 million in grants to support research collaborations with their counterparts in India. Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic encouraged Australian researchers to apply as part of Round 15 of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF). “International collaboration is a cornerstone of scientific excellence,” Minister Husic said. “Up to $6 million in grant funding is available to support Australian researchers from public and private sectors to work alongside Indian scientists on leading-edge scientific research and technology projects,” Minister Husic said. Minister Husic said the fund is the Australian Government’s largest bilateral science program, highlighting the importance of our relationship with India. It supports research collaborations in science and technology, generating novel solutions to challenges facing both countries. “The AISRF helps build links between Australia and India’s top universities and research institutions. It continues to enhance Australian-Indian collaboration in mutually significant areas,” Minister Husic said. “Previous projects have made important progress in agriculture, biomedical devices and implants, renewable energy, nanotechnology and vaccines. “Science and commercialisation are essential to the productivity and economic growth of both countries, and we will continue to achieve great things by working together.” Since the program was established in 2006, the Australian Government has supported over 360 projects, fellowships and workshops in areas of importance to Australia and India. The AISRF is jointly administered by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources, and the Indian Government’s Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology. Applications for Round 15 of the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund Collaborative Research Project grants are open until 15 March 2023. More information is available here: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/australia-india-strategic-research-fund-round-15.

Backing research centres to boost economic output

Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic has announced that Round 24 of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) grants program had opened for application. CRC grants provide funding for industry-led research centres that can transform Australian know-how into practical outcomes for Australian businesses. The grants can support industry-led collaborative research centres of up to 10 years’ duration. “The Government’s CRC program supports research and development initiatives that result in significant benefits to industry and the community,” Minister Husic said. “This funding can provide an often-missing step between research and commercialisation.” The latest evaluation of the CRC program, released today, shows it is working to strengthen the bond between industry and research organisations. “This evaluation found CRCs will contribute about $32.5 billion towards economic productivity by 2025 through commercialisation of new technologies, products and services that solve real problems for industry,” Minister Husic said. “The evaluation also concluded CRCs will continue to help address Australia’s economic, environmental and social challenges by enhancing capability of the research workforce.” Grant applications are open to all industry sectors and research disciplines, with applicants at least matching the funding sought through cash or in‑kind contributions from partners. Since the CRC program was launched in 1990 under the Hawke Labor Government, it has delivered more than $5.5 billion to establish 236 CRCs and 189 CRC Projects, leveraging a further $16.8 billion in cash and in-kind contributions from partners. “This program generates tangible economic outcomes by supporting projects designed to bolster the productivity and sustainability of Australian industries,” Minister Husic said. Applications for CRC Round 24 close on 7 March 2023. www.business.gov.au/crc. Minister Husic said a schedule for future rounds would soon be published allowing applicants to be better prepared to build collaborations and develop grant submissions. Round 25 is expected to open in December 2023.

What is a Budget -Who is it for?

-Comment Watching the Treasurer deliver a Budget is a very therapeutic event. It provides a reality check as to how the nation is financially…or it confirms that nothing being said has a positive effect on our well-being. What do the numbers mean, how many new houses are going to be built, how many jobs cut? As the Treasurer reeled out the big numbers, I wished the AFL season were just starting so I would have something important to concentrate on. The numbers, I’m afraid, don’t mean much. Or don’t mean much now. They will only be confirmed in two Budget’s time when we will see how effective the policies have been. Economists and deep-thinking consultants, for the money they earn, have strong measured opinions. Furrowed brows confirming to us how the picture will emerge. But they don’t have a clue. Press a button, look at a software package and tell us the best and worse scenarios that is the best they can hope for…and then expect us to take them seriously. Have you noticed how few accountants have been prime ministers…they can’t do the numbers. So just get on with your life. Pay your accountant well and keep your business moving forward. We have our own Treasurer, our accountant, who ensures we do the right things and contribute to society.

Farmer John stumps the doubters with international technology success

Another Australian farmer is following in the footsteps of the inventors of the stump-jump plough by achieving international renown for his ingenuity for down-to-earth solutions for problems encountered by producers globally. Queensland farmer John Bucknell’s hydraulic bolts are now used around the world in applications such as nuclear reactors, boilers, turbines and mining and energy equipment where speed, accuracy and even, precise fastening of multiple sets of bolts is required. The idea originally stemmed from his desire to find a quicker and more secure way to fasten bolts used to tighten gang bolts on large disc ploughs on his family’s property near Nindigully, Queensland (about 500km west of Brisbane). Just like brothers Richard and Clarence Smith of Yorke Peninsula who invented the stump jump plough in 1876 to allow farmers to cultivate land without removing rocks and stumps, John used his disc plough to break in new country, ready for production, after his father converted the property from grazing to agricultural production, predominantly wheat. A better disc plough solution At the time, disc ploughs used scalloped discs mounted in gangs turning in order to chop up the ground. But these were prone to breaking if they encountered a stone, stump, or other obstacle. To replace them involved using a sledgehammer to loosen and tighten the large nut of the centre shaft of the gang. The whole gang had to be taken to replace broken discs, then the whole assembly had to be rebuilt once it was fixed… only for the plough to hit another obstacle 100 metres on, and the time-consuming process had to start again. Frustrated by this laborious process, he developed sets of hydraulic nuts and bolts to do the job of fastening and unfastening disc assemblies simultaneously, far faster and more securely than the old way of twisting […]

Young Talented Male and Female Engineers In a Modern Laboratory Discussing Prototype built with the Help of 3D Printer.

RS PRO & Engineers without Borders partner to launch student competition

RS PRO & Engineers Without Borders Australia (EWB) are running a student competition with a strong focus on environmental, sustainability and social impacts. A call out is being undertaken for university students/groups currently working on engineering projects who want to take their ideas to the next level. RS PRO and Engineers Without Borders Australia are asking these students/groups to enter their concepts into the competition. The prizes are one of five product packs worth $3,000 which includes RS PRO components, tools, and accessories tailored to the project. The five winners will be announced later in the year and entries open early September. The competition criteria include: Socio-technical skills. Sustainable design skills, including the environmental, economic and social impacts. The demonstration of effective communication skills through the design pitch application and outline the teamwork skills of the project. A demonstration of how the fund will help the entrant achieve social, economic, and environmental impacts. Scott Philbrook, Managing Director ANZ for RS, the parent company of RS PRO, says he is looking to support future generations of engineers through programs like this. “The last two years has been a strange and stressful year for the evolution of design and engineering in many sectors,” He said. “The opportunity to submit your concept and potentially be given the tools to build the project is a kick-start for any entrant into 2023. The sustainable and environmental criteria is commensurate with current expectations in the industries applicable to these projects.” Entries are open now and the deadline is Monday 31st October, 11:59pm (AEST). To be eligible you must be aged 18 or over living in Australia & NZ and enrolled in a full or part-time university-level academic, engineering, or technology-related programme. To enter or for more information visit https://au.rs-online.com/web/content/m/rs-pro-student-fund

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