The submission of final reports does not mean that bench work stops, but rather that the work is written up in the required format and submitted to the Executive Committee for consideration. It will only be after this that the final funds for a project can be forwarded to the Participants.

Meanwhile, at our Head Office, the wind up process continues to demand a significant proportion of our office staff and participant's time. The challenges of wind up certainly seem to be as vigorous (if not more so) than getting the CRC going as we ensure our IP is available for further research and development by all the parties, that the value the CRC staff have created is captured in accordance with our commitment to the CRC Program by adding value to Australia and ensuring as best we can continued investment in our CRC's key research and development programs. 

As the year comes to a close and the festive season unfolds I would like to wish you and your loved ones all the very best, with good health, happiness, success and prosperity.  Please enjoy the festive season in peace and harmony and stay safe.

Peter Twine

While patents are certainly not the sole focus of our CRC they do constitute a significant milestone in the creation of potential commercial outcomes and opportunities. Deon will be discussing these data with you over the next few months to ascertain the most effective way forward to create value from our work and investment in our projects.

Clair Bolton is working on the CRC project in collaboration with a large American Agribusiness group. The company has provided 24 constructs to test in sugarcane using tissue culture. During the past year Clair and her team of four research assistants have characterised newly generated plant lines and selected promising plants to screen for resistance to the target pest in bioassay experiments.

"Most recently, our team has made great progress in screening plant lines in bioassay experiments for resistance to the target pest. Some interesting results have come out of the screening, and these results will be validated during the final stages of the project," Clair said.

Clair is a molecular biologist who recently graduated with a PhD. Her studies involved utilising plant viral vectors for high-level gene expression, with the ultimate aim of generating banana plants with resistance to Banana bunchy top virus.

Clair especially enjoys working on scientific projects that involve the complete process, from plant generation through to testing. Prior to her current role, based at BSES Limited, Clair worked in Robert Birch's lab at UQ, working towards understanding gene silencing in sugarcane.

In Clair's spare time, does she have any great passions? "My greatest love over the past five years has been playing in the Gaelic football league – this year I represented Queensland in the women's squad at the Australasian championships in Melbourne. Ultimately, I love to be active – I'm always on my bike or climbing a mountain."

Suzanne Morris has continued to devote a fair amount of time to the authorship package, authorder, which is evolving to become a successful CRC commercial product. Suzanne presented several 'Negotiating for authorship' workshops over recent months for: CRC SIIB researchers in September; UQ researchers in September and November; Uni Western Sydney students in September; and SCU researchers in October.  To date, the workshops have earned our CRC in excess of $2000.

The annual CRC SIIB education event, our CRC Symposium, is currently being organised and will be held on 6 and 7 May at Victoria Park Golf Club.

I'll be cloned for Christmas

I'll be cloned for Christmas -
You can count the many me's!
Please have plenty of food for my multiple brood -
And lots a presents for the many me's to appease!
Christmas Eve will find the many me's -
Where the family screams!
I'll be cloned for Christmas -
But only in multiplying extremes!

Christmas gift suggestions

Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

CRC SIIB Board Meetings

8:30am 26 February 2010
Final CRC Board Meeting - 8:30am 3 June 2010

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Plant and Animal Genome Conference

San Diego
9-13 January 2010

http://www.intl-pag.org/

includes:

Sugarcane Workshop — PAG

San Diego
Sunday am 10 January 2010

Sugarcane Genome Sequencing Discussions

San Diego
Sunday pm 10 January 2010

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ISSCT — Veracruz Mexico

7-11 March 2010
http://issct.intnet.mu/mexicoxxviicong.htm

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CRC SIIB 2010

Symposium – 6 &7 May 2010
Victoria Park Golf Club, Brisbane.

For information on the venue go to www.victoriaparkgolfcomplex.com more information on the event itself in our next eNews.

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ASSCT 2010

11 - 14 May 2010
Bundaberg, Qld
http://www.assct.com.au