The Vision Cooperative Research Centre (Vision CRC) is an Australian innovation success story. Established in July 2003, the Vision CRC was the recipient of an Australian Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) grant of $32 million – the highest grant ever given under the Commonwealth Government’s CRC programme.
The CRC programme, initiated by the Hawke Government in 1991, has been a triumph for Australian research and innovation. The programme recently celebrated its 18th year of delivering industrial, commercial and economic growth to Australia. It was established to strengthen collaborative research links between industry, research organisations, educational institutions and federal and state government agencies.
The programme provides an important bridge between discovery research and the requirements of industry for commercialisation-ready innovations, operating across the medical science & technology, manufacturing, information and communication technologies, mining and energy, agriculture and rural-based manufacturing and environment sectors.
Announcing the selection of the first 15 CRCs in his ministerial statement, “Building a competitive Australia”, on March 12, 1991, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, said, “During the last election campaign I said Australia needed to become a clever country”.
“The centrepiece of my commitment to that goal was the creation of a network of cooperative research centres. These centres would draw together outstanding research groups to provide new drive to our national research effort.”
The number of CRCs has now grown from 15 to 50. Current Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Minister, Kim Carr, has described the programme as “extraordinarily successful”, with the Australian Government committing almost $3 billion to establish 168 centres over 18 years.
As well as delivering greater outcomes in innovation the programme has made a significant contribution in the area of postgraduate research education. “CRCs have also produced over 4,650 industry-ready postgraduates, including over 2,460 graduates with PhDs,” Minister Carr said.
CRC Association CEO, Michael Hartmann, said, “The CRC programme has passed through adolescence into adulthood. Following the O’Kane Review in 2008, the programme has been reinvigorated and firmly established as a cornerstone of Australia’s national innovation system.”
The Vision CRC brings together outstanding national and international researchers in the area of eye research and technology, to collaborate on major programmes focused on myopia, presbyopia, vision care delivery, business growth, professional and academic education.
The Vision CRC was built on the foundation of the Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology (CRCERT), one of the original CRCs, which over its 12 year existence established itself as a premier site for groundbreaking eye care research, technology development and education.
The core participants in the Vision CRC are the Centre for Eye Research Australia, Institute for Eye Research, International Centre for Eyecare Education and LV Prasad Eye Institute. The Centre also brings together other organisations and researchers from around the world on an individual project basis. |
