Poultry CRC wins CRCA Collaboration and Innovation Award

The Poultry Cooperative Research Centre (Poultry CRC) has been recognised for its collaborative efforts with industry and research partners in the development of a vaccine against fowl cholera, Vaxsafe® PM.

The award, for significant innovation in Agriculture and Food, was made at the Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA) Conference on May 16. As CEO of the CRCA, Professor Tony Peacock, explains "the Australian Collaborative Innovation awards are an exciting development, as they celebrate research that makes an impact and is out there actually transforming the lives of Australians".

Vaxsafe® PM is a live attenuated vaccine providing broad protection against different strains of Pasteurella multocida, the causative agent of fowl cholera. It has been developed over an eight year period in a collaborative effort between The University of Melbourne, Bioproperties Pty Ltd and the Poultry CRC.

Poultry CRC CEO, Professor Mingan Choct, said at the time, "the development of this innovative product is the direct outcome of an extraordinary collaborative effort. Without the specific expertise each collaborator was able to provide, this would not have been possible to achieve".

With conservative estimates of $13M savings annually for the Australian poultry industry, which accounts for less than 1% of the global poultry industry, the development of Vaxsafe® PM represents the type of real-world output that can be achieved under a collaborative model like the CRC Program. "The poultry industry is a major contributor to Australia's food basket. Without continued innovation and successful collaboration in this sector we will fail to meet the challenges of feeding a growing population", said Professor Choct.

Poultry CRC would like to take this opportunity to thank our participants and researchers, in particular, Dr Peter Scott, Dr Rima Youil, Dr David Tinworth and many other staff members from The University of Melbourne and Bioproperties who made this success possible. Professor Kevin Whithear of The University of Melbourne was our program manager to whom we owe our sincere thanks.