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APRIL News

Posted on 9 April 20219 April 2021 by admin

Welcome to the first APRIL News for 2021. This note provides a brief overview of activities relevant to APRIL. We will send you a message every month, so watch out for it in your inboxes.

Thank you to all who submitted a 2021 Innovation Project proposal, and to all who were involved in reviewing the submissions. I think this process provides optimism and confidence in future research in our industry. I look forward to working with the successful researchers.

APRIL is continuing to assist with human capacity building in the Australasian pork industry through the Industry Placement Program Award scheme. A successful business applicant will receive $75,000 over the first two years of a three-year agreement to help cover salary and other costs associated with training the awardee for the three years. The 2021 round is about to open (see below). Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about the award or process.

In addition, various university education awards are available for students. I very much encourage everyone involved in education to ensure students are aware of the various funding schemes. We were pleased to receive five applications in the January 2021 round and plan to hold a 2021 mid-year call in June. Congratulations to the three students who were successful in the first round.
The APRIL Commercialisation Advisory Panel, a new initiative for APRIL, has met for the first time to consider a proposal. Further details can be found below.

This month’s Research Snapshot focuses on pork processing waste and black soldier fly larvae. Despite being confronted with significant challenges associated with Covid-19, the research team should be congratulated for completing this project in such a timely manner.

Our Member Focus is on Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd. As part of the APRIL Industry Placement Program, Rivalea have employed Dr. Maria Jorquera-Chavez as a Research Scientist. Please read on for further information.

I believe that APRIL has a valuable role to play in innovation, education and training, and commercialisation activities in Australasian pork production. I look forward to working with all stakeholders to achieve our current goals as well as setting new goals into the future.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries,

Dr. John Pluske
CEO/Chief Scientist
M: 0410 436 871
E: j.pluske@april.org.au|
www.april.org.au

Innovation

The APRIL Research and Development Advisory Committee met in early February 2021 to discuss 19 Innovation Project proposals submitted for funding.

Proposals covered a wide range of fields related to pork production and processing.

Recommendations for funding were sent to the APRIL Board meeting in late February, and we will announce details of the successful projects in the next Newsletter.

Education and Training

Applications for the APRIL Industry Placement Program (IPP) Award scheme open on 12 April 2021 and close 21 May 2021, with the final date for decisions being late June to early July 2021.

Applications must be lodged electronically by the applying business organisation, and include the name and qualifications of the proposed candidate, to Dr. John Pluske at j.pluske@april.org.au. See http://apri.com.au/education/ for more information and the application form.

Three Education awards were granted in the first 2021 round
1. Elisabet Garcia Puig, a PhD student from The University of Queensland
2. India Wright, an Honours student from Monash University
3. Ryan Kristen, a DVM student at The University of Sydney

Congratulations again and all the best with your studies, and we look forward to seeing the outcomes from your projects.

Commercialisation

The APRIL Commercialisation Advisory Panel comprises:

Dr. Gerard Davis (BioInfo Consulting and Investment; Chair)
Dr. Rob van Barneveld (SunPork Farms)
Mr. Kenton Shaw (SunPork Farms)
Dr. Cherie Collins (Rivalea Australia)
Mr. David Henman (Rivalea Australia)
Mr. Neil Ferguson (Westpork)

So that potential innovative industry-applicable ideas are not lost, the purpose of this Panel is to provide feedback and commentary to researchers/industry personnel regarding a potential commercialisation project with APRIL. Dr. Charles Rikard-Bell provides support to the Panel

The AusScan Early Harvest Report: February Energy Values for Cereal Grains 2021 is now also available from Dr. Charles Rikard-Bell.

For any questions regarding potential commercialisation ideas for widespread industry application please contact Dr. Charles Rikard-Bell, APRIL’s Manager, Commercialisation and Research Impact, at c.rikardbell@april.org.au, or on 0439 513 723.

Research Snapshot

Dr. Kristy DiGiacomo together with Professor Brian Leury (both of The University of Melbourne), Dr. Darryl D’Souza (SunPork Solutions) and Claire Leach (HATCH Biosystems), have submitted their Final Report detailing a study focussing on insect meal from pork-processing-derived material. This project found that with additional development and optimisation of rearing substrates, pork processing waste can be utilised as a contributing nutrient source for rearing black soldier fly larvae (BSFL).

There is an opportunity to combine pork processing waste with other agricultural waste streams and develop an efficient closed loop system whereby waste produced is bioconverted into a high value insect protein, rather than ending up in landfill. The researchers noted that this is the first study in Australia examining the use of pork processing waste as a rearing substrate for BSFL, and recommended subsequent research to explore larvae growth and survival when using this nutrient source.

Check the APRIL website https://apri.com.au/research/final-reports/ for more details on this project, as well as other Final Reports.

Member Focus

Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd. was successful with an APRIL Industry Placement Program award with Dr. Maria Jorquera-Chavez recently joining them as a Research Scientist.

Dr. Jorquera-Chavez has a degree in Veterinary Science, a Master of Animal Sciences, and recently completed her PhD at The University of Melbourne, in the use of computer vision techniques for monitoring health and early detection of illness in grower-finisher pigs. Dr. Jorquera-Chavez will assist Rivalea in developing and implementing research programs, and is participating in an APRIL-funded project addressing the implementation of thermal imagery to predict lactation performance and monitor the health status of sows.

Important Dates

Applications for the APRIL Industry Placement Program close on 21 May 2021 https://apri.com.au/education/

The Australasian Pig Science Association (APSA) Biennial Conference will be held from 15-18 November 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. More info https://www.apsa.asn.au/

The British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) will be making history with the launch of its first ever virtual conference, “The Challenge of Change – The New Normal?”, 12-15 April, 2021.
The webinar schedule is as follows:
Climate and Biodiversity – April 13.
New Developments in the Dairy Sector – April 14.
The Hyperprolific Sow- April 14.
Future Beef Farms – April 14
For more information, please visit: https://bsas.org.uk/conference

Applications for APRIL Industry Placement Program Award

Posted on 31 March 202131 March 2021 by admin

The Australasian Pork Research Institute Limited (APRIL) is pleased to announce a call for applications for its Industry Placement Program (IPP) Award scheme.

As a key part of APRIL’s strategy to assist with human capacity building in the Australasian pork industry, funding is available to support another IPP award, to join IPP awards already in place with Lauren Staveley (SunPork Farms South, South Australia) and Dr Maria Jorquera-Chavez and Dr Jessica Craig [Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd., Corowa, New South Wales].

The overall aims of the IPP are to (1) retain graduates trained by APRIL, the Pork CRC, Australian Pork Limited, and (or) other applicable organisations, at the Honours and (or) postgraduate level, and attract others to the Australasian pork industry, by sponsoring their placement in a commercial pork production organisation or an affiliated business within the Australasian pork industry in a structured and enhanced development program; (2) attract and stimulate graduates with an interest in pork production into the business side of the industry as a career, while continuing their development and understanding of how research and technology will enhance industry competitiveness and success; and (3) expose graduates wanting a long-term research or technical support role in the industry to commercial aspects of pork production and enhance their contributions and value to pork businesses in their future roles.

APRIL will provide the successful business applicant with $75,000 over the first 2 years of a 3-year agreement to help cover salary and other costs associated with training the Awardee for the 3 years.

Applications must be lodged electronically by the applying business organisation and include the name and qualifications of the proposed candidate, to the APRIL Chief Scientist/CEO Dr John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au; 0410 436871). Any questions on the IPP Award/process can also be directed to Dr John Pluske.

Applications open on 12 April 2021 and close 21 May 2021, with the final date for decision being late June/early July 2021.

Information relating the IPP requirements and the application form can be found at http://apri.com.au/education/.

APRIL IPP Requirements

APRIL IPP Application Form

New APRIL Industry Placement Program awardee starts at Rivalea

Posted on 23 March 202112 April 2021 by admin

March 2021: APRIL is pleased to announce that Dr Maria Jorquera-Chavez has commenced her Industry Placement Program with Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd. in Corowa, New South Wales.

Dr. Maria Jorquera-Chavez has recently joined Rivalea (Australia) Pty Ltd. in the position of Research Scientist. She has a degree in Veterinary Science, a Master of Animal Sciences, and recently completed her PhD with The University of Melbourne in the use of computer vision techniques for monitoring health and early detection of illness in grower-finisher pigs.

Dr. Jorquera-Chavez will assist in developing and implementing research programs, particularly in the areas of new technology, health and welfare. Maria is participating in an APRIL-funded project addressing the implementation of thermal imagery to predict lactation performance and monitor the health status of sows.

Dr. Jorquera-Chavez will also coordinate future experiments as principal investigator addressing the use of new technologies and management practices to monitor and improve the health and welfare of pigs.

From the Chief Scientist/CEO (October 2020)

Posted on 26 October 20202 November 2020 by admin

Innovation Projects

APRIL received a total of 20 applications for the recent funding call for Innovation Projects. Thank you to those that submitted an application (or applications). A number of the applications do look truly innovative, whilst I think it is probably fair to say that other applications missed the mark in addressing the “out of the box” ideas we are looking for, that potentially will deliver smart, new approaches to tackle current and emerging issues and challenges for the Australasian pork industry.

We will start to work through the review and approval processes and hope to be able to make an announcement of the successful projects in due course.

Commercialisation Projects

Just a reminder that APRIL’s Commercialisation Projects scheme is open all year round. Commercialisation Projects address the issue where the path to market of a product or technology may be close and additional co-investment, that would commonly include other investors, may bring it to fruition. Such projects require a co-investment external contribution of 20% of the total cash project cost, which is negotiable. Duration is also negotiable if beyond 12-18 months. Commercialisation income is a clear imperative for the future of APRIL, hence supporting industry-applicable projects in this domain is critical.

In the new year, APRIL is planning on holding a virtual event involving a number of producer members as they present some of the challenges that they would like APRIL to address, and what makes for a successful commercialisation project proposal. The event will include opportunities for networking with the presenters and road-testing your research ideas.

Kickstart Funding

I am pleased to say we have received a number of Expressions of Interest in response to the announcement last month concerning the Kickstart program. As mentioned then, the Kickstart Program is a new initiative that can provide some funding for an individual/organisation(s) to assist with the preparation and submission of a specific, targeted and agreed major external funding application (or applications) in association with APRIL and other partners. Significant external funding pools exist both nationally and internationally for potential investment.

The Kickstart Program aims to increase the number of applications that are prepared and submitted to external funding organisations that ultimately increase the funding pool to undertake more of APRIL’s activities, in alignment with APRIL’s Transformational Project and Industry Priority Project priorities.

COVID-19 Update

The coronavirus pandemic continues, unfortunately, to impact on some of APRIL’s activities, albeit that the majority of projects have been able to continue thanks to the resilience and resourcefulness of some of our investigators and collaborators. I sincerely appreciate the efforts such people have gone to under trying and difficult circumstances.

APRIL remains in contact with all Project Leaders regarding impacts of COVID-19 that might affect the progress of their project(s). Unavoidably, delays/disruption for some of our projects have occurred and will likely do so into the future. These, in turn, will affect milestones and deliverables and the communication of outcomes to the industry.

Research Project Reporting

Project Leaders should be aware that being awarded a research project with APRIL comes with it a number of contractual responsibilities, namely a quarterly Progress Report and a quarterly Cash Expenditure Report (from the Project Leader’s organisation), amongst others. It is important for APRIL to be able to suitably monitor projects and be able to respond to any issues that might arise in a timely manner, e.g., requests for variations. I send a reminder out every quarter about this and will continue to do so as I appreciate that our researchers are busy. Funds will not be paid against a project without an approved quarterly Progress Report that details progress against milestones and deliverables, and a Cash Expenditure Report.

Finally, and as mentioned previously, we would welcome receiving APRIL-related information and upcoming events from our Members for possible inclusion in the Newsletter [subject to space (preferred length is 100-150 words) and content], as this as an important communication forum between Members also. Please note though that news of APRIL activities has priority, and items of an advertorial nature are not permitted.

John Pluske (j.pluske@april.org.au)

[NOW CLOSED] Education and Training Awards (October 2020)

Posted on 26 October 202018 January 2021 by admin

To build upon APRIL’s current research and education and training investments, APRIL will be seeking more applications to support its education program and assist in further building human capacity for the Australasian pork industry. A number of different opportunities exist for undergraduate and postgraduate students/potential students within APRIL, as follows:

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
‘Top-ups’ for postgraduate research students (PhD, MS/MSc/MPhil) in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where a research project is an incorporated component of the program of study, in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Part-support for PhD students.

Eligibility varies according to the different scheme being applied for. The Guidelines associated with each opportunity should be read thoroughly before starting/submitting an application.

Information concerning the different education opportunities from APRIL, including Guidelines and application forms, can be found on the Education page.

Completed applications should reach APRIL by the closing date, and the outcomes will be announced after the closing date. The APRIL Education Advisory Committee will assess all applications against APRIL-related criteria including the academic record and curriculum vitae of the applicant, the applicant’s research potential including the research proposal, alignment with APRIL research priorities, evidence of industry endorsement/relevance, a personal statement from the applicant, the supervisor(s) track record, and a communication and delivery plan (if appropriate). APRIL will determine the number of, and the amount of, any grant awarded.

Applications should be lodged electronically to Dr Charles Rikard-Bell at (email), c.rikardbell@april.org.au. Questions on any of the Awards should be directed to Professor John Pluske at (email), j.pluske@april.org.au, or 0410 436871.

Important dates

Applications open: 19 October 2020
Applications close: 15 January 2021

Research Snapshot: ‘healthy pork’ resources

Posted on 26 October 20202 November 2020 by admin

The Final Report for project 3B-114, Development of a ‘healthy pork’ resource for use by consumers, health professionals and regulatory bodies: summary and dissemination of Pork CRC human nutrition research, has been received.

The Cooperative Research Centre for High Integrity Australian Pork (Pork CRC), which operated from 2005 to 2019, funded 16 projects under the ‘Healthy Pork Consumption’ program (Inherent Properties of Australian Pork to Enhance Consumer Health), with the aims to explore potential health benefits of pork and drivers and barriers to pork consumption. A compilation of this work, titled Development of a ‘healthy pork’ resource for use by consumers, health professionals and regulatory bodies: summary and dissemination of Pork CRC human nutrition research, was completed recently through APRIL by Dr Karen Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Nutrition and Food Sciences and Accredited Practicing Dietitian, at the University of South Australia.

The main purposes of the project were to first, assimilate the scientifically substantiated information on the nutritional properties and health benefits of including fresh lean pork in a diet for consideration in regard to dietary guidelines and diet and health-related messages; and second, apply this research to educate dietitians and health professionals on the benefits and lack of adverse effects of consuming fresh lean pork as part of a healthy dietary pattern.

The report is wide-ranging, covering the breadth and depth of projects that were conducted during the Pork CRC, and summarised studies that, for example, examined commonly consumed pork cuts to determine if there had been any changes in their key nutritional composition compared to 2006; research examining the role of pork in improving muscle mass, body strength and cognitive function in elderly people; a study exploring the health benefits of pork consumption in diets of Australian children; and research studying the effect of a Mediterranean diet with fresh lean Australian pork on a number of health-related parameters in high risk individuals.

In summarising the research conducted, Dr Murphy commented that there are a number of positive attributes for fresh pork that could be used to the benefit of the industry to contribute further to the increase in fresh pork consumption seen recently. “This research showed that there were no adverse effects of fresh pork consumption, but it may help with cardiometabolic health and blood pressure management of type 2 diabetes, weight loss, and preservation of cognition as part of a healthy dietary pattern. Including fresh lean pork in a healthy dietary pattern, in moderation, fits with latest dietary guidelines for good health”.

A Summary of the Final Report is available from the Final Reports page.

[NOW CLOSED] Call for applications: Education

Posted on 22 October 202018 January 2021 by admin

To build upon APRIL’s current research and education and training investments, APRIL is currently seeking applications to support its education program and assist in further building human capacity for the Industry. A number of different opportunities exist for undergraduate and postgraduate students/potential students within APRIL, as follows:

Scholarship Awards for Honours students.
‘Top-ups’ for postgraduate research students (PhD, MS/MSc/MPhil) in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Support for DVM/undergraduate Veterinary Science projects.
Support for MS/MSc/MPhil students, where a research project is an incorporated component of the program of study, in an APRIL-funded research project (or related).
Part-support for PhD students.

For full details and to download the application forms and guidelines, please refer to the Funding Opportunities page.

Applications open: 19 October 2020
Applications close: 15 January 2021

Expressions of Interest Open for APRIL Kickstart Program

Posted on 10 September 20202 November 2020 by admin

The Kickstart Program is a new initiative that can provide up to $7,500 for an individual/organisation(s) to assist with the preparation and submission of a specific, targeted and agreed major external funding application (or applications) in partnership with APRIL and other partners.

Significant external funding pools exist both nationally and internationally for potential investment. The Kickstart Program aims to increase the number of applications that are prepared and submitted to external funding organisations that ultimately increase the funding pool to undertake more of APRIL’s activities, in alignment with Transformational Project and Industry Priority Project priorities in the Strategic Plan.

Expressions of Interest (EoI) for project applications not seeking Kickstart funds may also be submitted but must adhere to the same principle of being a specific, targeted major external funding application in partnership with APRIL (and other partners), in alignment with the APRIL Strategic Plan.

To apply for a Kickstart award, complete an EoI form (available from the Funding Opportunities page) and email it to Professor John Pluske, APRIL CEO/Chief Scientist, at j.pluske@april.org.au, by 16 October 2020. Questions concerning the program can also be directed to Professor Pluske on 0410-436871.

Important dates:

September 14 2020: applications open
October 16 2020: applications close.
October 19-30 2020: assessment of applications and Zoom interviews (if required).
November 2020: decision outcomes.