Sovereign composites, intelligent manufacturing progress in latest CRC bid announcement

Cooperative Research Centre Round 23 bids progressing to Stage 2 have been announced, with two explicitly manufacturing-focussed CRCs among them.

Six CRCs were approved for progress by science and technology minister Melissa Price, with the eventual outcome scheduled for May next year (see timetable below.)

The six were:

• Care Economy Cooperative Research Centre
• Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites (SoMAC) CRC
• CRC for Intelligent Manufacturing (CRC4IM)
• CRC SAAFE (Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food and Environments)
• ONE Basin Cooperative Research Centre (ONE Basin CRC)
• Plastic Waste Cooperative Research Centre

CRC grants support “medium to long term industry-led collaborations” and run for up to ten years.

The SoMAC CRC, led by UNSW Professor Ganga Prusty, has made a bid for a ten-year program, budgeted at $225 million with $73 million cash from participants, a similar amount in-kind, and the rest from Commonwealth funding. Its prospectus describes an ambition to help triple the employment and GDP contributions the nation’s composites sector over the next 15 years. 

The CRC4IM, led by Dr Jason Coonan, currently the chief operating officer of the IMRC, is described as aligned with the federal government’s six current “National Manufacturing Priorities”. Its prospectus mentions the importance of the full scope of the manufacturing value chain (sometimes called the “smiley curve”) encompassing pre- and post-production steps.

Apparently unsuccessful in the round was a planned Regional Advanced Manufacturing CRC.

Round 23 Dates (scheduled)

• Stage 1 opened 30 June 2021
• Stage 1 closed 24 August 2021
• Stage 2 open 9 December 2021
• Stage 2 close 3 February 2022
• Interviews to be held 28-29 March 2022
• Outcomes announced May 2022
• Funding to start second half 2022

Picture: Innovative Manufacturing CRC

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