Page 6 - APN1122

APRIL announces call for Innovation Projects scheme applications 2023
THE Australasian Pork Research Institute Ltd is seeking applications for its Innovation Projects scheme, for commence- ment in 2023.
maximum budget of about $75,000 – are designed specifically to support out- of-the-box ideas for smart new approaches to tackle the current and emerging challenges of the Aus- tralian pork industry.
To coincide with APRIL’s new strategic plan, up to $750,000 will be available for this round of innovation projects.
rience to effectively assess applications.
Executive Officer Dr John Pluske on j.pluske@april. org.au or 0410 436 871.
An independent member-based research entity, APRIL seeks to en- hance the Australian pork industry by investing in research and development, education and training, and commercialisation ac- tivities focused on priori- ties and deliverables that ensure the sustainability of Australian pork produc- tion,andtogenerateop- timal returns for its stake- holders.
Innovation projects must demonstrate originality, uniqueness and creativity, establish new concepts or challenge existing ones, address significant chal- lenges or critical barriers to progress, and be able to improve or apply new the- oretical concepts, method- ologiesortoolsthatwill benefit the pork industry.
Funding rules for inno- vation projects stipulate that no overhead – indi- rect cost recovery – can be charged.
APRIL’s innovation projects – which are ne- gotiable to 12-18 months in duration and have a
The Innovation Projects scheme requires a min- imum level of cash co- investment of 25 percent of the total project cost.
It is anticipated that funding for successful projects will occur after July 1, 2023, subject to APRIL Board approval.
The Innovation Projects scheme is provided on a nationally competitive basis and available to ap- plicants from any organi- sation.
If approved, research scheme funds are paid directly to the successful lead party.
To apply for an APRIL innovation project, com- plete the relevant proposal form and the budget and milestones template – apri. com.au/research/funding- opportunities/ – and email to Dr Charles Rikard-Bell at c.rikardbell@april.org. au by 5pm AEDT De- cember 12, 2022. Important dates
Collaborative projects are strongly encouraged, but applications must identify a lead party that will administer the pro- ject.
Innovation projects are conducted under the terms and conditions of the APRIL Research Deed, which can be viewed at apri.com.au/research/
Applications open Oc- tober 24, 2022.
All APRIL funding schemes are assessed, evaluated and recom- mended for funding by the Research and Devel- opment Advisory Com- mittee, which has the col- lective expertise and expe-
For further information orqueries,contacteither Manager Commercialisa- tion and Research Impact Dr Charles Rikard-Bell on c.rikardbell@april.org. au or 0439 513 723, or Chief Scientist and Chief
Applications close De- cember12,2022.
New research via IoT tags and machine learning aims to deliver world-class animal health and welfare in commercial piggeries.
Unlocking pork industry data
NEXT-generation IoT tags and machine learning will be deployed as part of new research aiming to deliver world- class animal health and welfare in commercial piggeries.
research and project man- agement personnel.”
The $1.2 million partner- shipbetweenFoodAgility CRC, Curtin University, Xsights Digital, Craig Mostyn and Co, Depart- ment of Primary Indus- tries and Regional Devel- opment Western Australia, Pork Innovation WA and Beanstalk AgTech will also investigate the value of sharing the informa- tion throughout the supply chain.
Xsights chief marketing officer Dean Phillips said the ‘sensing as a service’ model will enable users to scale with no upfront capital expenditures, while providing a number of new and automated real-time location data sets to drive operational efficiencies.
You’re
in safe hands with Tonisity.
Improve gut health Reduce mortality Increase weaning weight
Contact jodie@ccdanimalhealth.com.au or 0428 247 272 for further information
www.tonisity.com
Food Agility artificial intelligence and robotics pillar lead Ashley Rootsey said the three-year project would draw on experts from the Western Aus- tralian pig industry, tech- nology and supply chain systems.
Curtin University senior lecturer in supply chain management and logistics Dr Elizabeth Jackson said the project was a testament to the Western Australian pig industry’s apprecia- tion of using technology to create value in its supply chain.
“It’s hoped this research will provide pig producers with a tool to monitor an- imal health in real-time, allowing for earlier inter- vention to further enhance welfare, productivity and profitability,” Mr Rootsey said.
“This project will ex- plore how reliable infor- mation can be collected and analysed through tag technology to ensure pigs are managed in the best possible conditions and consumers know about this good news story.”
“It will also examine how the technology could be applied throughout the supply chain.
Craig Mostyn Group general manager meat and livestock Peter Spackman said, “The Craig Mostyn Group is excited to par- ticipate in this industry leading project to further understand the relation- ship between pig behav- iour and physiology with health, welfare and pro- ductivity outcomes.”
“While this research fo- cuses on the pig industry, the technology could have potential for other animal production industries.”
The project will utilise data from Xsights IoT tag – a cost-effective wafer that can be retrofitted to a standard button ear tag to report temperature, move- ment and location of pigs in real time.
“This will further our ability to demonstrate to consumers around the globe about Australian provenance and how our dedication to the highest standards of health and welfare is delivering pre- mium quality pork.”
The research will unlock the value of this data by correlating it with biolog- ical measures from pigs in a commercial setting and use machine learning to develop a model to pre- dict health and welfare outcomes of pigs, alerting producers to pig health status in real time.
Beanstalk AgTech di- rector Grant Gilmour said, “We exist to unlock the power of ag to be a force for good.”
The project will also create a digital record of pigs’ history to demon- strate animal welfare prov- enance to customers and consumers.
“Beanstalk is looking forward to supporting the Craig Mostyn Group in this project.”
Quotes from project partners
DPIRD WA principal re- search scientist Dr Bruce Mullan said: “This re- search will help underpin the value of electronic tags in providing invaluable data and evidence across animal welfare, livestock productivity, market ac- cess and biosecurity to op- timisebusinesspotential.”
Pork Innovation WA chair Dr Rob Wilson said, “Pork industry re- search and development is evolving and looking to technology over traditional solutions for enhancing on-farm welfare and con- sumer confidence is abso- lutely the way forward.”
For more information, visit foodagility.com
“I will be focusing on how good animal welfare practices are emerging as critical to consumers who pay top-dollar for high- quality livestock prod- ucts,” Dr Jackson said.
Page 6 – Australian Pork Newspaper, November 2022
“PIWA looks forward to supporting the project partners through access to experienced on-farm
Pork Innovation WA chair Dr Rob Wilson.
“The project represents a strong collaboration be- tween a diverse range of organisations who each bring a unique set of skills.
www.porknews.com.au