On the hotplate

Rising global temperatures are putting pressure on our food supply, but ANU plant scientists are working hard to breed crops that can thrive in the changing climate. In recent years, extreme heat and weather events have had a major impact on the wellbeing and wallets of ordinary Australians. When floods in Queensland and New South

2 months ago

Director’s message

As we approach the end of 2023, it is my pleasure to announce two key changes to the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) that will come into effect in the new year.  From 1 January 2024, CEAT will become the Agrifood Innovation Institute (AFII). When CEAT started in 2018, our focus was on addressing agricultural

3 months ago

Alison Bentley joins AFII

Scientists need to think and dream big if they’re going to support the agriculture industry to make the transformational changes it needs to thrive in our changing climate. That’s according to the head of one of Australia’s largest wheat breeding companies. Talking to the ABC last week, Intergrain CEO Tress Walmsley said the industry needs

3 months ago

Welcome to our new AFII Board members

We are pleased to announce the appointment of the Agrifood Innovation Institute (AFII) Board. The Board replaces the CEAT Governance Committee, and reflects the expected increase in responsibilities related to the governance and oversight of the Innovation Institute as it continues to grow over the next few years. The AFII Board comprises 10 members, including

3 months ago

Introducing the Agrifood Innovation Institute

We would like to announce that the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) will be undergoing a name change and will continue its work as the Agrifood Innovation Institute (AFII) in the new year. The name change reflects the evolution of our mission and scope, as well as our status as an ANU Innovation Institute. CEAT

3 months ago

October Director’s message

As the former interim Director of the ANU node of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF), it was fantastic to hear that the Australian Government has awarded $60 million towards expanding its national footprint. The funding, through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), will be matched by state governments, university partners and industry, to

5 months ago

September Director’s message

This month, I visited the World Vegetable Center (WVC) in Tainan, Taiwan.  Celebrating its 50th year, the mission of the WVC is to deliver: “Healthier lives and more resilient livelihoods through greater diversity in what we grow and eat”. In addition to undertaking research to improve breeding of globally-important fruit and vegetables, the WVC is

6 months ago

R&D investment critical for food security

Countries need to invest in long-term agricultural research and development if we are to create a food secure world. That was the message from the United States Government’s chief advisor on the topic to the Crawford Fund Conference in Canberra earlier this month. U.S. Special Envoy on Global Food Security, Cary Fowler, is keenly aware

6 months ago

PPB ‘best in class’ at Australian Good Design Awards

CEAT Hub member PPB Technology has won ‘Best in Class for Medical and Scientific Equipment’ at the 2023 Australian Good Design Awards for their CYBERTONGUE® Food Testing System. Founder Dr Stephen Trowell attended the awards ceremony on 8 September in Melbourne and was on hand to collect the award. The Australian Good Design Awards is

6 months ago

ANU researchers tackle ag challenges

Researchers from the ANU Research School of Biology and Research School of Engineering have received support for projects with a focus on solving agricultural challenges in the latest round of funding under the CEAT Strategic Investment Program. Congratulations to Professor Bob Furbank (ANU Research School of Biology), Associate Professor Benjamin Schwessinger (ANU Research School of

6 months ago

Reflections from CEAT Governance Committee Chair

Victoria Taylor became the Chair of the CEAT Governance Committee in 2020. Following the Committee’s final meeting last month, she reflects on what she’s learnt over the past three years. While living in the United States in 2019 and 2020, I observed the establishment and growth of a number of high-value agritech startups. One thing

7 months ago

CEAT celebrates five years

More than 80 people turned out to the CEAT Innovation Hub last week for what was a fitting celebration of the achievements of our first five years. At the event, ANU Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt spoke about the importance of CEAT in providing the environment and support structures to enable ANU-industry collaborations to thrive. “To

7 months ago

Meet Pablo from Haizea Analytics

Haizea Analytics joined CEAT as a new Hub member last month. We spoke to co-founder Dr Pablo Larraondo (left) about Haizea Analytics and their hopes for growth in the future. Haizea is a Basque word meaning ‘wind’. In Basque mythology, Haizea is also the name of the goddess associated with wind, and is said to have the

7 months ago

August Director’s message

With August ending, researchers at ANU have been busily preparing to begin field work on a four-year, $1.9 million project funded by the Grains Research Development Corporation that will help Australian wheat breeders develop novel heat tolerant wheat germplasm. In collaboration with cereal breeding company InterGrain, Australian-based universities (Uni Sydney, Uni WA and Uni New

7 months ago

Bright ideas for a better Australia at Cicada x Tech23

Some of the CEAT team travelled to Sydney this month for Cicada x Tech23, to meet the innovators who are changing the world for the better by using technology to solve complex problems in society. From a seed treatment inspired by Indigenous knowledge, and hydrogen storage, to light solutions for protected cropping facilities, and new

8 months ago

July Director’s message

July has been an exciting month for agri-food researchers at ANU.  As part of a $64 million investment in industry-focused research, the Australian Research Council (ARC) has just announced a range of Industrial Transformation Training Centres and Research Hubs. One of the successful proposals – the ARC Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity – was led

8 months ago

New Digi-Ag Scholar announced

Congratulations to ANU graduate Stephen Rogers who has been awarded the latest Digital Agriculture PhD Supplementary Scholarship! The scholarship, offered by CSIRO’s Data61, aims to support outstanding PhD students to do cutting-edge research addressing challenges in the agricultural sector through the application of information science. Stephen’s PhD project involves using biological modelling to predict the

8 months ago

CEAT Innovation Hub welcomes two new members

CEAT are excited to welcome two new members to our Innovation Hub – Haizea Analytics and Future Swirl. Haizea Analytics is a data analytics company born from the Fenner School at ANU that works to harness the huge potential of earth observation data. They have created a technological platform, terrak.io, which gives users access to

8 months ago

New rules proposed on gene editing technologies in EU

In early July, the European Commission proposed revising its rules on gene editing technologies, following a 2021 review that showed the inadequacy of the existing Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) legislation when it came to new breeding techniques. The proposed revision, if adopted, would represent a drastic change in regulations, and would be welcome by researchers

8 months ago

June Director’s message

I am writing this month’s Director’s message from the Toolik Field Station on the North Slope of Alaska.  At 68°N, the University of Alaska Fairbanks-run facility is north of the Arctic Circle. The Field Station is funded by a range of agencies, with the ongoing support of the National Science Foundation (through their Polar Program) being

9 months ago

PPB Technology Wins ACT Region iAward

CEAT Hub member PPB Technology have won an ACT Region AIIA iAward (Technology Platform Solution category) for their CYBERTONGUE® technology. The CYBERTONGUE® is a revolutionary food testing system which uses shelf stable molecular biosensors, in concert with a user-friendly device, to get on-site laboratory quality results in minutes. It allows food processors to more efficiently

9 months ago

Australian agritech awards celebrate innovation

The Australian agritech industry came out to shine at the inaugural AusAgritech Awards held recently in Sydney. It was the first ‘night of nights’ for the industry, rewarding the talent, innovation and hard work of agritech start-ups from across the country. Awards were given in 10 categories, including Agritech of the Year, won by precision

9 months ago

Improving remote sensing data for agriculture

As the world’s climate changes, there is a growing need to equip farmers with the tools and technology to more effectively manage their land. Digi-Ag Scholar Yi Yu, from the Fenner School of Environment and Society, is part of an ANU-CSIRO team looking at the use of multi-platform remote sensing to measure land surface temperature

9 months ago

May Director’s message

The State of Israel celebrated 75 years of independence in May this year. To mark the occasion, a celebration was held at the National Arboretum in Canberra, attended by national leaders from both sides of politics. With the Chair of CEAT’s Governance Committee, Victoria Taylor, it was my pleasure to attend the event. In his

10 months ago

Alison Bentley announced as 2023 Borlaug CAST Communication Award Recipient 

Alison Bentley, Director of the Global Wheat Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and CEAT Fellow, was announced as the 2023 Borlaug CAST Communication Award Recipient earlier this month. She was recognised for her work raising the awareness of the importance of wheat as a global food crop, as well as

10 months ago

ANU co-designs innovation strategy with Vietnam University

An ANU delegation, organised and led by CEAT, travelled to Vietnam in mid-March to visit the Center for Agricultural Innovation (CAI) at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA). Their trip was part of the Resilient Agriculture and Food (RAF) Initiative, part of the larger Aus4Innovation program aimed at helping Vietnam strengthen its innovation ecosystem

11 months ago

April Director’s message

During April, I had the pleasure of travelling to the UK to attend the annual New Phytologist editorial meeting, which this year was held in sunny Glasgow (every day was blue skies!). I have been an editor of New Phytologist since 2007 and am proud of the way the journal has grown in international stature

11 months ago

ANU-CSIRO tech targets Tassie salmon farms

For ANU plant biologists Dr Annamaria De Rosa and Dr Samantha McGaughey, touring a Tasmanian salmon farm is not a regular day in the office. The two researchers from the ANU School of Research Biology recently travelled to the southern state as part of a joint ANU-CSIRO project to develop technology to harvest valuable nutrients

11 months ago

We can produce sustainable food, but who pays the price?

Jazmyn Michie is studying Environment and Sustainability at the Australian National University. She recently attended the evokeAG 2023 agri food tech conference which gave her food for thought on the challenge producers face in embracing sustainability, while also running a profitable business. When entering the evokeAg 2023 conference I was overwhelmed by the excited buzz

11 months ago

March Director’s message

March has been a month of travelling to new places, establishing new networks, using our experience through CEAT to advise others and being proud of the achievements of others. Over the past few years, it’s been a privilege to work with committed colleagues and industry partners as we have built CEAT.  Since 2018, the team

12 months ago

CEAT Hub expands to accommodate new businesses

The CEAT Innovation Hub is undergoing a transformation, with new and refreshed spaces to enable more agri-food focused businesses to join our Hub community. CEAT recently took over the space formerly occupied by ANU Legal in the back wing of the Gould Building at ANU, nearly doubling our original footprint. We have renovations underway to

12 months ago

CEAT partners with Vietnam university for innovation

The CEAT team are working with the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) as part of a program to help them with their transformation to an innovation culture, and advancing their commercialisation agenda. The Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA), located in Hanoi in the country’s north, aims to be one of the leading universities in education

1 year ago

A different pathway to innovation

Angus Dunne (second from left) is a Masters of Science student at the Australian National University, with a focus on Agricultural Innovation. He told CEAT Innovation News about his experience attending the recent evokeAG 2023 agri food tech conference. As a soon to be graduate of the Master of Science Agricultural Innovation, evokeAG provided more

1 year ago

Building capacity for Responsible Innovation workshop

Daniel Bronitt is a fourth-year student at the Australian National University, studying Biotechnology and Agricultural Innovation. He told CEAT Innovation News about his experience attending the recent Responsible Innovation (RI) training course delivered by CEAT in partnership with CSIRO and Athena Education. In early February I was fortunate to take part in the training course

1 year ago

Sustainable agriculture the only way

Alex Maier is the Marketing and Communications Manager for CEAT. She reflects on her key takeaways from the evokeAG agrifood tech conference. “How do you define sustainable agriculture?” That was the question asked of delegates at the recent evokeAG 2023 conference, and teased out through a number of panel discussions over the two-day event. Panellists

1 year ago

February Director’s message

February may be a short month, but boy, there is quite a bit you can pack into 28 days! For CEAT, the month began with a visit to our Innovation Hub by Senator David Pocock to meet Hub start-up Wildlife Drones. The Senator was taken into one of the labs where the team produces advanced

1 year ago

CEAT celebrates first CSIRO Data61 Digital Agriculture Scholarship graduate

When a new scholarship opportunity came through the School newsletter, Michael Wellington noticed it, as did his PhD supervisor. “It’s a pretty boring story really – it was in one of those weekly Fenner School emails that came around, if I remember correctly. We thought, that kind of aligns with what we’re doing and thought

1 year ago

January Director’s Message

Last week, I drove from Canberra to Perth in a 12-year-old Fiesta (with my son, who has moved to Perth).  The trip gave me lots of time to think.  While watching temperate woodlands turn to arid grasslands, I reflected on a recent paper that discussed how research into science and technology is funded, and what such

1 year ago

December Director’s message

The summer holiday season has arrived – but for those on the Australian east coast, you’d be forgiven for questioning if summer is actually here.  ‘The Bureau’ (as they were hoping to be called after a rebranding that didn’t quite go to plan) tells us that Christmas Day will be warmer – so, there are

1 year ago

November Director’s message

November was an important month for space enthusiasts, with the NASA Artemis 1 moon rocket being launched into Earth orbit, following a few months delay. The Artemis 1 mission will test a rocket and capsule system that is designed to take astronauts to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. The November timing

1 year ago

PPB starts industry testing

PPB Technology’s Cybertongue device will be available for sale from early next year. It enables simple and efficient testing of the quality and safety of ultra heat treated milk. Founder Stephen Trowell said the business this month commenced trials of an alpha version of the Cybertongue with UHT dairy processors in Australia and New Zealand.

1 year ago

Canberra innovators connect at ANU

This month we joined with our friends at Canberra Innovation Network to host First Wednesday Connect, a monthly event which brings together the Canberra start up community to share ideas and encourage collaboration. The event is an opportunity for entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators to connect informally, and form the personal relationships and networks needed to

1 year ago

Opportunity to join the CEAT team

Do you want to drive research to impact in agriculture and agri-technology? At the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology at the Australian National University we’re looking for experienced and senior team players with established networks who can help to build engagement with industry and government, and translate research to impact. You will work as part of

1 year ago

October Director’s message

Each year in October, I teach some of the lectures for one of the first-year biology courses at ANU – BIOL1009, Diversity of Life. Earlier in the course, students learn about the incredible array of life forms that occupy terrestrial, aquatic and marine environments. The course covers the timeline of plant evolution, starting with emergence

1 year ago

First cab off the rank for Agricultural Innovation

The Master of Science in Agricultural Innovation at the ANU is the only degree of its kind in Australia. The degree equips students with a systemic understanding of farm and agri-food value-chains and the skills to integrate and adapt knowledge from different disciplines to design solutions to complex agri-food challenges. Paris Capell will be one

1 year ago

CEAT extends international connections

We were delighted to partner with our friends at Barn4 this month to host an online business connect event bringing together start-ups from the UK and Australia to share their experiences. Barn4 is an agri-tech incubator in Cambridge, UK, with a similar mission to the CEAT Innovation Hub. Its members span a range of disciplines

1 year ago

ANU grains research and infrastructure capabilities on show

This month at CEAT, we welcomed Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Managing Director, Nigel Hart, and Head of Industry and Government Relations, Justin Crosby, to ANU to show off the University’s grains research and infrastructure capabilities. While they were on campus, Nigel and Justin spoke to ANU College of Science researchers and CEAT staff

1 year ago

ANU establishes SynBio network

The ANU has today launched a new Synthetic Biology initiative, bringing together a network of researchers who are applying synthetic biology capabilities to generate breakthrough foundational discoveries and create research impact for sectors including food and beverage, recycling and medical products. The initiative will also foster start-ups and collaborate with business to innovate and solve

1 year ago

Opportunity for agri-tech businesses to join the CEAT Innovation Hub

The CEAT Innovation Hub is expanding, and we are looking for agri-tech businesses to join the growing number of success stories who have called the Hub home. We have office, lab and hot desk spaces available for businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to more established operations. This is a unique opportunity to undertake your

1 year ago

Our future in a warming, water-stressed, COVID world

We are in a global water crisis. That’s the worrying assessment of water policy and law expert Professor Robert Glennon, who recently presented a public lecture at ANU titled ‘Our Future in a Warming, Water-Stressed, COVID World’. In his address, Professor Glennon said that currently, 1.1 billion people across the world do not have access

1 year ago

PPB Technology welcomes new CYBERTONGUE® prototype

Hub member PPB Technology reached the next milestone in their commercialisation journey this month when they travelled to Melbourne to take delivery of the alpha build of the new generation CYBERTONGUE®.

1 year ago

September Director’s message

Last week, Australia’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, released a paper highlighting the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs in Australia’s emerging technology industries in the coming decade. To fully exploit this opportunity, Dr Foley says Australia will need to develop a workforce that combines knowledge of STEM with skills from the humanities

1 year ago

August Director’s message

During August, I was proud to host one of CEAT’s Fellows, Dr Alison Bentley, during her stay in Canberra. In her role as Director of the Global Wheat Program at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Alison spoke at the Crawford Fund Conference at Australian Parliament House. Alison then spent a week at

2 years ago

‘What if seeds were vaccines?’ workshop

What if seeds were vaccines? This was the question raised by Alison Bentley, Director of the Global Wheat Program at International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and CEAT Fellow, and explored at a select workshop hosted by CEAT on Monday 22 August. The workshop was an initial exploration to see what crop breeding could

2 years ago

‘Shockproof staples’: building greater resilience into our food systems

Wheat is a staple in the diet of 2.5 billion people globally, and, in many countries in the global south and developing world, it is people’s number one source of nutrition. Supply constraints resulting from conflict in the Ukraine have exposed vulnerabilities in our agricultural system and pose real and immediate challenges to global food

2 years ago

35 years of the Crawford Fund

The annual Crawford Fund Conference is an important event each year, bringing focus to Australia’s role in ensuring global food and nutrition security. This year’s event, of which CEAT was a sponsor, marked 35 years since the Crawford Fund was established, and the 40 year anniversary of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR).

2 years ago

Scientists to harvest valuable resources from wastewater

ANU researchers Annamaria De Rosa, Caitlin Byrt and Samantha McGaughey are part of the project team

2 years ago

Women in Crop Science Coffee

Last month, CEAT staff Alex and Pia attended the Women in Crop Science (WiCS) Coffee event at CSIRO. The WiCS initiative is the brainchild of CEAT fellow Alison Bentley who brought it to Australia while visiting ANU from her base in Mexico. It aims to create further opportunities for promoting and developing the visibility of

2 years ago

CEAT farewells Quantum Brilliance from Hub

Quantum Brilliance – the company revolutionising quantum computing by using synthetic diamonds to create smaller, room-temperature, quantum computers – are graduating from the CEAT Hub. Quantum Brilliance was founded in 2019 and joined the Hub in August 2020. Over the past two years they have become an ANU and ACT innovation success story, raising millions

2 years ago

Gondwana Genomics successful in new research funding

CEAT Hub member Gondwana Genomics are excited to announce that they will be undertaking a new research project for Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA). FWPA have announced that they will be funding 10 projects worth more than $11 million to grow research capacity in local Australian Forestry. Over a three-year program, Gondwana Genomics will

2 years ago

Farming for the future

The next decade is an exciting and challenging time for agri-food, with great opportunities for Australia if we can support our farmers to survive and thrive in an increasingly volatile world. A food economist with experience across research, innovation and commercialisation, newly-appointed CEAT fellow Graham Smith, says we need to take a more human-centred approach

2 years ago

Plant Health Australia visit ANU ag students

On Tuesday 5 July, CEAT had the pleasure of hosting Dr Maggie Mwathi and Kathryn Pagler from Plant Health Australia (PHA) to present a biosecurity workshop to ANU agriculture students at the Fenner School of Environment & Society. This was part of our partnership with PHA to create industry experiences for students and enhance awareness

2 years ago

July Director’s message

I have spent most of July in the UK and Europe, visiting a range of institutions that conduct research & development (R&D) targeting productivity growth in crops. This included a visit to BARN4, an agri-tech incubator in Cambridge, UK.  BARN4 provides a place for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to interact with researchers from National

2 years ago

June Director’s message

As we approach the end of June, I have been packing my bags in preparation for my first overseas trip since 2019.   Next week, I will be visiting folk in the UK, starting with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB).  NIAB is a non-profit entity established over 100 years ago with a mission to

2 years ago

Digital Agri-food Summit recap

Article by Rebecca Craine Earlier this month, CEAT Research Translation Initiative (RTI) team members, Vivienne Wells and Rebecca Craine, attended the Digital Agri-food Summit in Wagga Wagga to connect with colleagues and explore opportunities and innovations in the digital agriculture space. This summit explored a range of topics in the digital agri-food space including: automation

2 years ago

Digital Agriculture Scholarship awarded

When one of her high school teachers encouraged Eva Henningsen to apply for an opportunity to attend the Borlaug Dialogue (World Food Prize summit) in Des Moines, Iowa, in 2014, she had little idea of the impact it would have on her career and life. Attending the summit sparked a passion for food security and

2 years ago

Sustainability close to home

Earlier this year at the Future of Ag-Innovation panel discussion hosted by CEAT, Christine Mulhearn from the Department of Agriculture Water and the Environment spoke briefly about the role of supply chains and consumer demand in the agriculture industry. While Christine spoke of the opportunity people’s desire for specific luxury food items and seasonal produce

2 years ago

Science the key to future food security

Recent sharp increases in the price of certain fresh fruit and vegetables have focused community attention on the sustainability and resilience of Australia’s food production systems. While Australia is one of the most food secure countries in the world [ABARES], if we are to continue to feed a growing global population we need to substantially

2 years ago

Transformational change needed to revitalise Aus agriculture

Following on from the Drought Resilience workshop hosted by CEAT in April, researchers, policy makers and industry representatives gathered again on 3 June to identify what a revitalised Australian agri-innovation system might look like. Australia’s existing agri-innovation system focuses primarily on incremental short to medium term changes in the system. In the face of interacting

2 years ago

Hub member PPB Technology awarded Accelerating Commercialisation grant

CEAT Hub member PPB Technology has been successful in securing an Accelerating Commercialisation (AC) grant, a federal funding initiative from the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources to support Australian companies in bringing their products to commercial market. PPB was among 15 recipients awarded in the latest round of funding. PPB Technology develops diagnostic

2 years ago

May Director’s message

I am writing this month’s CEAT Director’s message from home where – like 200,000 other people across Australia – I have been in COVID isolation for the past week.  The mild nature of my COVID symptoms is a testament to the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines developed at unprecedented speed by researchers in 2020.  Previously,

2 years ago

CEAT businesses share success

The CEAT Hub was a hive of activity this week as CEAT staff and our Hub community gathered on Wednesday to exchange business updates and hear about the ACT Government’s economic development priorities for 2022-2025. It was the first formal Hub event since August last year when Canberra and surrounding areas went into an extended

2 years ago

CEAT Strategic Investment Program funding awarded

Congratulations to the successful applicants from the latest round of the CEAT Strategic Investment Program. Two applications were successful in the latest round of funding – Prof Justin Borevitz (Research School of Biology) and team for their proposal titled ‘Linking farm management with plant & soil measurement via dynamic modelling’, and the Battery Storage and

2 years ago

April Director’s message

On the last working day of April, I participated in a stimulating lunchtime discussion (Summit Digest) on the main takeaways from the Australian Agritech Association’s recent 2022 National Agritech Summit.  Dr Anastasia Volkova (CEO and co-founder at Regrow) did a great job at moderating the discussion to explore how each of the panel saw the

2 years ago

Drought resilience workshop reflection

CEAT is focussed on assisting producers, industry, and regional communities across Australia to prepare for and adapt to increasingly extreme, complex, and interrelated climatic conditions. We are working with Policy Partners to initiate critical discussions on the intersecting responsibilities of multiple research and policy agencies and how they can contribute more effectively to supporting agri-food

2 years ago

Engineers Without Borders Local Design Summit:
Indigenous Agriculture and Land Regeneration

Story by Rebecca Craine. Rebecca (above left) is in her final year at ANU pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering and Earth Science. She is interested in sustainability and infrastructure and how these can be developed in the agricultural space. Rebecca is working at CEAT as a part of the Research Translation Initiative (RTI) team, focussing

2 years ago

Agri-tech critical to reaching net zero 

By Alex Maier. Agri-tech innovation is critical to reaching global targets for net zero carbon by 2050, according to experts speaking at the Canberra pre-2035 Oceania Summit workshop last week. The significant contribution agriculture and the agri-food supply chain make to our region’s greenhouse gas emissions will be the subject of the 2035 Agri-Food-Tech Oceania

2 years ago

Climate change impacts on food supply

By Bec Hopkins. Climate change is leading to a rise in food prices and availability, a recent report has found. ‘The Fork in the Road’ report written by Stephen Bartos and commissioned by Farmers for Climate Action, was released in early March and covered the risks that changing climate is having on the Australian food

2 years ago

Future Ag-Innovation Panel Discussion reflection

By Pia Cunningham, contributions from Denise Higgins. On Monday the 7th of March CEAT ran a panel discussion on the future of ag-innovation in the Birch Building on ANU campus, with a full sound and film crew recording. The panel had six members, each with different perspectives on the agtech system: Christine Mulhearn, Pip Grant,

2 years ago

ANU Plant Science team win international grant

By Pia Cunningham. While diet varies around the world, no one can deny the importance of staple grains. Wheat comprises 20 percent of all human calories and protein*; it is of great importance for feeding the human population. Climate change continues to raise average temperatures, increase the occurrence of extreme weather events, and change patterns

2 years ago

Wildlife Drones – an update on who they are and what they do

By Pia Cunningham. Hub member Wildlife Drones have had a very busy month! Wildlife Drones is a tech company that has developed radio-tracking drone systems for locating animals on the move. This technology can be applied to pest management, and conservation. For example, they have been working with the Western Australia Department of Biodiversity Conservation

2 years ago

March Director’s message

2022 represents the fourth year since the launch of CEAT in 2018, and two years since CEAT was elevated to the status of an ANU Innovation Institute in 2020.  Much has happened over those years, with CEAT having gone from a concept to a funded-initiative that harnesses the potential of the ANU community to address

2 years ago

Research Translation team visits partners in Northern Victoria

Story by Rebecca Craine. Rebecca (above left) is in her final year at ANU pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering and Earth Science. She is interested in sustainability and infrastructure and how these can be developed in the agricultural space. Rebecca is working at CEAT as a part of the Research Translation Initiative (RTI) team, focussing

2 years ago

February Director’s Message

Earlier this month, the ANU Vice Chancellor, Professor Brian Schmidt, attended a speech at the National Press Club given by the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP.  Joining Prof Schmidt was Dr Larry Marshall, Chief Executive of CSIRO.  Together, they listened to the PM announce a $2.2 billion package to increase commercialisation of research

2 years ago

From Melbourne to Licola, where does the energy come from?

Story by Pia Cunningham. Pia is in her second year at ANU pursuing a Bachelor of Science. She is majoring in Resource and Environmental Management with a minor in Sustainable development. By travelling Australia on road trips or hiking, she sparked an interest in the agricultural landscape and how it will adapt to overcome the

2 years ago

Innovation and Agricultural Resilience

The OECD report Strengthening Agricultural Resilience in the Face of Multiple Risks, makes the point that managing risk is intrinsic to agriculture – risks that include weather, market volatility, financial instability, biosecurity and policy changes or distortions.  However, it contends that moving into the future we need new risk management strategies that shift from reactivity

2 years ago

January Director’s message

Following last year’s United Nations climate conference in Glasgow UK, there is growing acceptance in government and the private sector that we need to better understand the effects of anthropogenic climate change (ACC) on agricultural productivity across the world.  Thankfully, we are not starting from scratch, with a wide range of published, peer-reviewed papers having

2 years ago

December CEAT Director’s message

As readers may know, CEAT established its Agri-Innovation Fellow Program in late 2020.  One of the main reasons for starting the Program was to ensure that CEAT is as well connected as possible to external agri-sector agencies. The Program is also designed to help CEAT identify the major industry challenges where researchers from the ANU-CSIRO

2 years ago

Agriculture and the Circular Economy

Story by Rebecca Craine and Vivienne Wells — What is the Circular Economy? As the global population increases and becomes more developed and urbanised, demand for food, energy and water are rising [1]. However, the Earth’s resources are finite and have a limited capacity to meet this growing demand. The standard model of society today

2 years ago

The benefits of agrivoltaics in agriculture

Story by Vivienne Wells — Climate variability will pose significant challenges to Australian farmers in the coming decades, with temperature rises since 2000 estimated to have reduced average farm profits by approximately 22% across the broadacre industry [1]. Broadacre cropping is affected most, with an  average profit loss of $70,900 per year (35%) for a

2 years ago

November Director’s Message

In October the Australian Government released the most recent edition of the National Agricultural Innovation Policy Statement. The Statement provides an up-to-date overview of the Agricultural Innovation Agenda and how a range of investments are being deployed to help greatly increase Australia’s annual agricultural productivity growth.  In this Director’s Message, I briefly explore some of

2 years ago

Plant Biology meets Computer Vision – interdisciplinary ANU research project reimagines plant phenotyping

Last month, Canadian biopharmaceutical company Medicago R&D Inc. and ANU successfully completed the first phase of a five-year research collaboration to monitor the growth and performance of plants used in the production of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs). The second phase of the collaboration will support $1.5M of research to enable Medicago to optimise proprietary plant-based technology

2 years ago

CSIRO and ANU Digital Agriculture PhD Scholarships

Agriculture of the future will be digitally integrated at all stages of the value-chain, from understanding genetics and real-time monitoring of on-farm conditions, through to transport logistics and traceability. CSIRO and ANU have partnered to offer exciting opportunities for PhD students to work with scientists and engineers at the cutting edge of research that is

2 years ago

Talking irrigation and agritech adoption with J. Matthew Pryor, Co-Founder, Tenacious Ventures and Partner, AgThentic

Recently Sarah Biggerstaff from CEAT caught up with J. Matthew Pryor to talk about the Up Stream Ag Insights and Agtech so what? report ‘The agtech adoption dilemma: irrigation’ which outlines barriers to irrigation technology adoption among farmers. The efficient and effective irrigation of crops is essential to the agriculture sector, however only 16% of

2 years ago

Genomic studies with pre-selected markers reveal dominance effects influencing growth traits in Eucalyptus nitens

Gondwana Genomics recently published a study in the scientific journal G3 on dominance effects influencing growth traits in Eucalyptus nitens. E. nitens is an important plantation species due to its fast-growing nature and resistance to frost. It is a popular species grown in plantations across Australia and particularly in Tasmania. Genomic selection is fast becoming

2 years ago

October Director’s message

As October 2021 ends, it has been fascinating to watch Australia’s political landscape shift as pressure builds for the Prime Minister to take a ‘net zero carbon emissions by 2050’ commitment to the United Nations climate conference that will take place in Glasgow UK from 31 Oct-12 Nov. With Australia moving towards making a net

2 years ago

Hear from OzRiver, second place winners of the H2O Hack

Story by Jiawei Hou. The agriculture industry plays a fundamental role in Australia’s economy and it is severely impacted by climate change. It is one of the most climate-vulnerable industries, sensitive to changing rainfall, temperature and extreme weather events. Access to better water and climate data can help farmers identify water risks and prepare for

2 years ago

Hear from Waterwise, first place winners of the H2O Hack

Story by Ophelia Phraphone, Ollie Viant and Nathan Rees. This was our second H2O Hackathon and we were so excited to be back! Hackathons are always such an enriching experience and we loved this year’s added twist on the problem statement, in which we had to focus on using space-based technologies to improve Australia’s water

2 years ago

Renewable Fuels for space travel

Story by Vivienne Wells. – The use of space-based technologies will add billions to agricultural productivity and improve the efficiency of rural industries, but the cost of space flight can have an impact on future sustainability goals. Whilst the world is currently facing challenges in transitioning all energy use away from fossil fuels, flight vehicles

2 years ago

Find out the winners of the 2021 H2O Hack

4-10 October marked the 2021 World Space Week, which recognises the impact and contributions of space science and technology in improving life on Earth. When we talk about space tech, we usually have an extra-terrestrial focus; Mars rover, moon landings and rockets, especially with the recent advent of ‘space tourism’. Yet there is so much

2 years ago

September Director’s message

For me, September has been a month of learning. Through a series of meetings with researchers and agri-sector experts, I have been learning more about the complex challenges facing agriculture, and ways in which research-intensive universities can deliver the R&D needed to address those challenges. A key topic in those discussions was whether Australia’s current

2 years ago

How Nourish Ingredients are taking on the alternative fats world

Alternative fats and oils developers, Nourish Ingredients are a team of world-class Aussie scientists, with a shared vision to make plant-based meat and dairy alternatives even better. Nourish was founded in 2019 by former CSIRO scientists Dr James Petrie and Dr Ben Leita. The Nourish team joined the CEAT Innovation Hub in early 2021, and have continued to grow

2 years ago

PPB Technology – from beginnings to business

Story by Dr Stephen Trowell. —- PPB Technology began developing as an idea when, in the last decade of my thirty year career with the CSIRO, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to lead the team that established and developed a new diagnostic technology, CYBERNOSE®. At its birth, this technology was developed to

2 years ago

CEAT to co-host the 2021 H2O Hack: Solving water challenges from space

When most people think of space tech, they think of rockets, space stations and satellites. What most people don’t know is how much of life on Earth is influenced by this technology. Yet satellite enabled technology like remote sensing, geolocation and increased connectivity are increasingly important for many aspects of terrestrial life, including agriculture and water

3 years ago

August Director’s message

In the 2021-22 Australian Federal Government Budget announced in May this year, a $30,000 incentive was included for universities to create industry internships for their PhD students. Provided a student undertakes a three-month industry internship during the first 18 months of their PhD, their university would receive the incentive payment when the student graduates. While there are

3 years ago

CEAT announces new addition to the Innovation Hub

CEAT is pleased to announce a new addition to the CEAT Innovation Hub: Membrane Transporter Engineers (MTE). MTE is the brain child of ANU Research School of Biology researchers Dr Caitlin Byrt, Dr Annamaria De Rosa and Dr Samantha McGaughey, who are all part of the Byrt Group, which is a research team working on engineering plant membrane proteins and

3 years ago

CEAT co-hosts International Business Connect

On Wednesday 11 August, CEAT and the Canberra Business Chamber (CBC) hosted the International Business Connect event at the CEAT Innovation hub at The Australian National University. The event focused on the Australian agri-tech sector and the opportunities it holds as an export industry. The hybrid event was very well attended by delegates from embassies, CSIRO, ANU, CBRIN and business owners

3 years ago

Quantum Brilliance secures ARC Linkage grant

In August 2021 CEAT Hub Members Quantum Brilliance announced that they had been successful in their application for the 2020 round 3 of the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Project grant. The project is worth around $2.2M including in-kind and financial contributions from all partners, and $561,297 from the ARC Linkage grant. The project’s aim is to

3 years ago

July 2021 Director’s message

A message from Prof Owen Atkin, CEAT Director —- In the second half of last century, the Green Revolution resulted in large increases in agricultural output, ensuring that food production largely kept pace with a rising global population. However, the benefits of that revolution have stagnated, with global agricultural production having plateaued at 0.5-1.0% per

3 years ago

Hijacking algal mechanisms for crop improvement and future food security

Story by Dr Britta Förster — The trajectories of insufficient global food supply for an estimated 9.5 billion people on our planet by 2050 according to the World Health Organization – which all deserve to be fed, and ideally fed well – paint a dire picture for our future. Research all over the world explores avenues

3 years ago

Trends for a greener ag industry

With the harsh realities of climate change becoming harder to ignore, now more than ever investing in sustainable agriculture has become a priority. The impacts of agriculture are far-reaching, but fortunately there are many trends on the rise that focus on improving the sustainability of the sector. Here are the latest sustainability trends creating a

3 years ago

Reflections on the challenges of agri-tech innovation

CSIRO recently ran a responsible Ag-Tech Innovation Symposium which was the brain-child of social scientists from CSIRO’s Digiscape and Responsible Innovation Future Science Platforms, whose anticipatory innovation work seeks to understand the benefits and challenges associated with a digital transformation and technology uptake in the agricultural sector. The hybrid event consisted of 240 people (from

3 years ago

June Director’s message

While online meetings enable the geographic spread of our networks (and enabled projects to maintain momentum during COVID-19), face-to-face events still provide opportunities to build the relationships that are crucial to professional networks. It was great that I had the pleasure of being involved in several face-to-face events in June, including attending the annual awards

3 years ago

Congratulations to Nourish Ingredients’ Anna El Tahchy

Nourish Ingredients Chief Technical Officer Dr. Anna El Tahchy has been recognised by both the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering (ATSE) and the Vegan Women’s Summit x Impossible Foods “Women Building the Future” campaign  for her achievements in cellular agriculture.  Dr. El Tahchy holds a PhD in Biochemistry and has extensive experience in lipid engineering and food chemistry. Anna

3 years ago

Meet Professor Bob Furbank, CEAT Champion

Professor Bob Furbank is a renowned researcher at the Australian National University’s Research School of Biology. His career has spanned over 30 years, during which he has published many academic papers and led numerous successful research projects. Bob is an internationally recognised pioneer of multiscale or “systems” plant biology, with major contributions to areas ranging

3 years ago

Food in the Capital tour showcases Canberra as a food capital

CEAT Marketing and Communications Manager Shikha Sud recounts her experience at the 2021 Food in the Capital Conference below. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Food in the Capital Conference, hosted by Michael Claessens and Suzanne Gearing from Regional Development Australia ACT. The first day of the conference was packed with presentations and

3 years ago

May Director’s message

May is the month when the Federal Government releases its budget for the coming year. On the morning after the budget release, I was pleased to attend the CropLife Australia Agricultural Industry Federal Budget Breakfast at the National Press Club, where the Minister for Agriculture, Hon David Littleproud MP, outlined how the government would be

3 years ago

Sustainable supply chains: creating trust and resilience from farm to table

On 14 May the Australian AgriTech Association hosted a virtual panel titled Sustainable supply chains: creating trust & resilience from farm to table. The panel was facilitated by Sarah Nolet from AgThentic, and made up of Lachlan Monsborough from Rabobank, Olympia Yarger of Goterra, and Jessica Vieira from Apeel Sciences. The panel covered a range

3 years ago

What will the future of agriculture look like?

The agriculture sector has evolved dramatically over the last two decades. Continual advancements in mechanics, biology and digital technology have seen the industry become more efficient, productive and sustainable. Agriculture’s future is predicted to see even more change, as social, technological and environmental forces shape the industry and its workforce. Digital Communications Social media has

3 years ago

Food in the Capital highlights the essential role of food in our region

CEAT Marketing and Communications Officer Sarah Biggerstaff recounts her experience at the 2021 Food in the Capital Conference below. On Tuesday 18 May I attended the Food in the Capital conference at the Realm Hotel in Canberra, along with other representatives from CEAT. The day was jam-packed with panels, keynote speakers, and talks from people

3 years ago

Space technologies and the future of ag – Q and A with Martin Amidy

Sarah Biggerstaff from the CEAT Marketing and Communications team sat down with Martin Amidy, Senior Research Fellow at CEAT to discuss the recently published report ‘Space-based technologies – opportunities for the rural sector’, its outcomes, and the role of space tech in the future of agriculture. SB: What does space technology have to do with

3 years ago

April Director’s message

Nutt family farm in Black Rock, SA. In recent decades, rural industries have been able to develop a range of technologies that greatly increase the efficiency, safety and sustainability of food and fibre production. Central to many of these has been the deployment of satellite-based technologies that deliver remote sensing, connectivity and geolocation capabilities to

3 years ago

Nourish Ingredients funding announcement

Recently Nourish Ingredients, our newest CEAT Hub member, announced their successful initial funding round of $11M USD, co-led by Horizons Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures, two of the leading food-tech VC firms in the world. James Petrie, Nourish’s CEO says “It’s a huge step toward the realisation of our biggest goal – to bring to

3 years ago

Five ways to boost creativity and break out of a creative rut

Creativity and creative thinking impact all aspects of life, from small ways (like thinking of something different to make for dinner for a change), to major, innovative ways (like how to change a design of a product or process to make it safer, cheaper, faster, or even all of these things). No matter what kind

3 years ago

Attracting new talent to the ag sector

Agriculture is one of the fastest growing industries in Australia. As we approach 2050, we can expect to see significant advances in both technology and practice as the industry races to satisfy the needs of a growing population in the midst of global climate change. With technological advances continually changing how ag producers operate, the

3 years ago

Creativity in research

The United Nations launched Creativity and Innovation Day and Creativity and Innovation Week in 2017 to celebrate the ways in which these concepts and behaviours impact everyday life globally. “There may be no universal understanding of creativity. The concept is open to interpretation from artistic expression to problem-solving in the context of economic, social and

3 years ago

Future opportunities for military technology to advance agriculture

Australian producers have been at the forefront globally in adopting new technologies that deliver management efficiency and productivity benefits. The pressure of a highly variable climate and managing volatile export-focused markets has driven this adoption. Advanced pesticide technologies and no-tillage conservation agriculture practices have had an essential role in improving agricultural broadacre productivity and buffering

3 years ago

March update from CEAT Director

Over the past three months, CEAT has been working with our partners at the University of Adelaide and University of Western Australia to increase awareness among government, industry stakeholders and producers of our proposal for a ‘National Mission for Future Crop and Community Resilience’.  The National Mission document outlines an initiative to create a step

3 years ago

How can Aussie agriculture adapt to climate change?

In the coming 50 years, climate change will be one of the most significant problems facing Australian agriculture, with forecasts predicting increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall. It is vital that the agriculture industry adapts to these changes. While some adaptation is happening, far more needs to be done. The ABARES Outlook 2021 conference outlined two

3 years ago

Smart irrigation control for water and labour savings in rice

Matt Champness, a former CEAT Emerging Scholar, is currently undertaking a PhD with Deakin University’s Centre for Rural and Regional Futures based in Griffith NSW. His project is focused on developing integrated smart sensing and irrigation automation systems for rice growing capable of delivering the needed high level control parameters. The ultimate goal is to

3 years ago

What is the Right to Repair Movement – and why do we need it?

How long have you owned your mobile phone? 1 year? 2 years? 3 years?! If you’re like me, you probably buy a new phone every couple of years. As new phones and updates are released, it always seems as if my old phone gets slower and slower. I’m sure you’ve experienced this too. When new

3 years ago

February Director’s message

After a year of deserted university campuses, it was fantastic to see students returning to their ANU residential colleges and classes in February. While lectures will remain an online experience for many, relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions has meant that small group teaching and laboratories can be now run face-to-face. The flow-on benefits will be substantial,

3 years ago

Nourish Ingredients join the CEAT Innovation Hub

CEAT is pleased to welcome the newest members of our Innovation Hub, food technology company, Nourish Ingredients. Nourish Ingredients is leading the movement to revolutionise how alternative protein products are made. Their work focuses on creating tailored, animal-free fats and oils that make plant-based meat, fish and dairy alternatives even tastier and more sustainable. Because

3 years ago

Meet CEAT’s first Fellow

CEAT established its Fellows Program in late 2020 to harness relevant expertise to tackle agritech industry challenges and transform how industry and our research community collaborate and to grow next generation agritech capability. Below is an interview between Denise Higgins and one of our inaugral Fellows, Dr Rohan Rainbow. Denise: Rohan what’s important to you

3 years ago

Bridging Barriers to Agri-Tech Adoption

The agriculture industry has seen many changes over the last 50 years, ranging from mechanical improvements in machinery, the broader usage and diversification of genetically modified crops and new digital management tools. These changes have expanded the scale, speed and productivity of Aussie farms, leading to more efficient production and land use. However, with the

3 years ago

CEAT hosts representatives from Austrade and AusIndustry

As part of our monthly Hub Member Networking Lunch on Wednesday 17 February, CEAT hosted David Barbalet and colleagues from AusIndustry and Matthew Durban and colleagues from Austrade to present to our hub members about the various funding schemes available to SMEs and emerging entrepreneurs. The session was well attended by CEAT Hub Members, and

3 years ago

CEAT 2020 End of Year Event

On Thursday 10 December last year, CEAT held an end of year celebration event, which was attended by over 80 guests from across ANU, CSIRO, industry, government and other innovation networks. The event celebrated the achievements of CEAT over the previous 12 months, including our elevation to an ANU Innovation Institute, our various successful events

3 years ago

January Director’s message

Welcome to the first update of 2021. I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are excited for the year ahead. Universities across Australia are home to researchers and infrastructure that in many cases could help industry address complex challenges. A key aspect of harnessing this capability is ensuring that industry is able to

3 years ago

Building Capacity for Responsible Innovation: Agri-Technology

In collaboration with CSIRO, CEAT is piloting  a Responsible Innovation course in May 2021. Emerging science and technology is creating complex issues for societies and their decision makers. Novel and disruptive innovations and technologies present significant policy, regulatory and ethical challenges, which if left unresolved, could constrain the potential for future science to deliver benefits

3 years ago

December Director’s message

As many of you know, a key change for CEAT in 2020 was its elevation to the status of an ANU Innovation Institute along with other Institutes such as the 3A Institute, WearOptimo Institute and Institute for Space.  ANU Innovation Institutes are entities whose role is to harness the full intellectual capacity of the University

3 years ago

New Agricultural Innovation courses coming to ANU

The CEAT Innovation Training Initiative supports the development of new skills and pathways for future innovators, influencers and leaders in agri-technology. In collaboration with the ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society and CSIRO, CEAT are supporting the delivery of a suite of new agriculture-oriented education and training offerings in 2021, ranging from Undergraduate to

3 years ago

Quantum Brilliance bag a bundle in funding

CEAT Innovation Hub members Quantum Brilliance have been awarded $828,666 from the Federal Government to build a state of the art manufacturing plant for room temperature quantum computers. This comes as part of the Entrepreneurs Programme, which has invested $243 million in Australian innovation to date. This latest grant of $7.99 million was received by

3 years ago

The impacts of COVID-19 on Australian Agriculture

2020 has dealt unparalleled challenges across all areas of our community and the world, including Australia’s agricultural community, who have faced devastating bushfires, drought and a world-wide pandemic. With 2021 around the corner, now is the perfect time to reflect on the challenges of 2020, and to look hopefully ahead to next year. The agricultural

3 years ago

Robotics in Australian Agriculture

Advancements in robotics, and the applications of robotics products in agriculture are constantly producing exciting opportunities in the field. Whilst many agricultural robotic projects are still in the developmental phase, the outcomes of this research hint at a future in which technology will allow us to produce the same output using less resources. This possibility

3 years ago

November Director’s Report

When CEAT was launched in 2018, our goal was to build – in Canberra and its surrounding region – a globally-connected agri-tech innovation ecosystem where world-class research and technology is targeted to agricultural challenges, independent of traditional disciplinary boundaries. Note the geographic range this encompasses – it goes from local to regional to national to

3 years ago

Software engineering in agri-tech

CEAT 2020 EvokeAG scholar, Bryce Cronin updates us on agri-tech startups that have caught his attention. As a software and network engineering student with a keen interest in robotics, I’ve been keeping my eye on a number of agri-tech startups from Australia and around the world. While these startups are diverse in their offerings, what

3 years ago

GRDC Research Scholarship applications open

GRDC Research Scholarship (GRS) Program applications are open again in 2021. High achieving students undertaking post-graduate research are encouraged to apply in areas of priority for the GRDC and our stakeholders. The GRS Program has evolved and goes beyond financial support to include a GRDC and industry symposium, as well as facilitating industry engagement throughout

3 years ago

October Director’s Report

An update from Professor Owen Atkin, CEAT Director As many of you know, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology is located in the National Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Precinct at the interface of ANU and the Black Mountain campus of CSIRO. The Precinct is an outstanding plant and agricultural sciences knowledge cluster – one that includes

3 years ago

Gondwana Genomics predict the performance of eucalyptus trees

CEAT Hub members, Gondwana Genomics, in collaboration with China Eucalypt Research Centre (CERC), recently undertook a research project where Gondwana’s DNA marker technology was used to predict the performance of Eucalyptus pellita trees. Gondwana were able to show the great accuracy of their technology to predict growth and wood traits of E. pellita trees using

3 years ago

AquaporinSolutions team participates in the Bridge Hub Water Challenge

Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth and has recently faced one of its worst droughts. Climate change and increased incidence of extreme weather events are threatening water security for all Australians. Currently, approximately 70% of Australia’s water resources are used for Agriculture, and water resources are becoming increasingly stretched. Biotechnological innovations are needed

3 years ago

Research collaboration targets plant-based vaccine development

A new research collaboration aims to develop new methods and tools to non-invasively monitor the growth and performance of plants used in the production of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs). In doing so, the research will help to optimise the biotechnology for plant-based vaccine development. Initiated and supported by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) and ANU

3 years ago

A message from Prof Owen Atkin – September 2020

I was pleased to see that earlier this month, the Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, the Hon. David Littleproud, announced that the Australian Government will invest $86 million in establishing eight Adoption and Innovation Hubs across regional Australia, and that it will develop a Digital Foundations for Agriculture Strategy. Drought is a focus

3 years ago

Jessica Fearnley – My life in Agriculture

Working in the Australian temperate fruit industries is full of surprises; the constant demand to produce safe, clean quality fruit weighs continually on our farmers. My name is Jessica Fearnley and I work as a researcher to help farmers supply this fruit to you! Working for the NSW Department of Primary Industries in Orange I start my

3 years ago

Owen Atkin on using satellites to benefit agriculture

Professor Owen Atkin recently gave an interview to ANU media on the role satellite technology plays in providing a greater capacity to quantify the performance of plants growing across the entire surface of the Earth over long periods of time. See Owen’s full interview here.

4 years ago

August update from Prof. Owen Atkin, Director, CEAT

A major feature of CEAT is its focus on helping Canberra-based agri-tech businesses grow, with that growth providing employment and training opportunities for our students and early career researchers. It was with this in mind that we established the CEAT Innovation Hub in the Gould Building – a building that is ideally placed on the ANU campus

4 years ago

ANU-Agrifutures Australia: Space technologies for Australia’s rural sector virtual workshop

On August 18 -19 and 26-27 CEAT and ANU hosted an interactive virtual workshop on behalf of AgriFutures Australia to assess the future of space technologies in the rural sector and co-design an Industry Issues report to be distributed by AgriFutures. The workshop included participants from agriculture, fisheries, and the forestry industry, as well as

4 years ago

CEAT welcomes Quantum Brilliance to the Innovation Hub

Quantum Brilliance is a start-up company building quantum computers with the ultimate goal of developing ‘QPUs’ that are the size of an accelerator card. Quantum Brilliance’s work has a range of applications in the agri-sector.  This includes increasing our ability to ‘replicate’ the natural world through highly complex models of relevance to agriculture that account for processes such as photosynthesis,

4 years ago

Farewell to FluroSat

After 18 months as members of the CEAT Innovation Hub, award-winning agri-tech start-up company, FluroSat are leaving the hub to move on to the next phase of their business journey.  In recent years, FluroSat have grown into a highly successful, internationally recognised business. CEAT is pleased and proud to have been part of their journey,

4 years ago

July update from Prof. Owen Atkin, Director, CEAT

Last week, Bob Furbank (Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis) and I were lucky enough to be at the National Press Club to hear an address from the President of the National Farmers Federation, Ms. Fiona Simson. Her speech focused on how national economic recovery can be achieved, in part, through reform and

4 years ago

Read the latest from AgriFutures evokeAG. newsletter

Data driving profits, farms and Australian agriculture. How farmers collect, use and store data is what will drive Australian agriculture in the future, and everyone has a view on what opportunities are available. Economist and entrepreneur, Ros Harvey, is the Founder and Managing Director of one of Australia’s most successful startups, The Yield Technology Solutions (“The Yield”).

4 years ago

June update from Prof. Owen Atkin, Director, CEAT

With the winter solstice having just passed, I was surprised last week to find a near-ripe plum on one of the trees in my backyard! With the drought, heatwaves and hail events having limited fruit production during the summer, my favorite plum tree decided to take advantage of a wet late summer and autumn to

4 years ago

That’s a wrap on the H2O Hack

During the week of 15-19 June, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT), at The Australian National University, in partnership with The University of Canberra’s Centre for Applied Water Science (CAWS), Bridge Hub, CSIRO and Charles Sturt University, with the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN) as a delivery partner ran the ‘H2O Hack: technology to drought-proof the

4 years ago

Working together to solve global water challenges

The recent ‘black summer’ of bushfires and the devastating drought that preceded it has made evident the water management challenges facing Australia. 2019 was the driest year on record with nationally averaged rainfall 40% below the long term average. Fires over the summer of 2019/20 burned nearly 19 million hectares of forest and killed at

4 years ago

An update from Mandy Nguyen, CEAT Chief Operating Officer

I am so delighted to have the opportunity to join the CEAT team as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). As this is my first blog for CEAT, I thought I should share with you some personal background.  Growing up in a family home surrounded by rice fields, I have always had a strong passion

4 years ago

Innovate to Grow with CSIRO

Do you have a drive to understand how new technologies could create value for your business? CSIRO is currently offering a new, complimentary, Innovation Enabled Growth professional development program to a select group of Agrifood small-medium enterprise (SME) leaders.  This 12 week applied, online program will:  Provide insights into emerging technologies reshaping your industry. Support

4 years ago

An update from Prof. Owen Atkin, CEAT Director

Well, what a wild start to 2020.  Nature has reminded us how challenging the Australian environment can be, with a three-year drought and heat waves creating the conditions for a bushfire season that affected rural and metropolitan communities alike. Here in Canberra and surrounding regions, the arrival of desperately needed rain was preceded by an

4 years ago

Wheat breeding tool set to optimise energy use efficiency

Researchers report important progress in developing a new tool to realise the next generation of wheat yield gains. The tool takes the form of an index that rates wheat’s energy use efficiency (EUE). It can be used to exploit genetic diversity in a wheat plant’s ability to use energy from photosynthesis to optimise yield. The breakthrough

4 years ago

Citizen science to aid bushfire recovery

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is working with key agencies and community groups to support research underway throughout bushfire impacted areas. The Citizen Science Bushfire Project Finder website allows members of the public to contribute to projects ranging from air quality, to identifying and confirming animal and plant sightings while maintaining safe social distancing practices. People can

4 years ago

Untapped potential for animals to help reduce bushfire risk

A new study led by The Australian National University (ANU) has found that animals may be an “untapped” resource to help manage fuel loads for bushfires.  Lead author Dr Claire Foster said Australia’s recent summer has shown that wildlife can be severely impacted by bushfires, but the report found that animals can also influence bushfires in surprising ways.    “Large grazing animals – including cows, kangaroos and rhinos – eat large amounts of

4 years ago

Positive Impacts of COVID-19 on the Illegal Wildlife Trade

If you told me a few months ago that the world would have literally gone into lockdown because of a global pandemic – I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. At Wildlife Drones we have been working from home for over the past two weeks. Like many other organisations around the world, this has

4 years ago

Looking after yourself during COVID-19

Many people are now working from home to help stem the tide of COVID-19. While this measure is both reasonable and necessary, it does present us as a community with numerous challenges, not least of which is how to stay sane when only essential excursions outside the home are allowed. With this in mind, we have compiled

4 years ago

CEAT staff get remote

Due to new protocols in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19, CEAT staff will be working remotely for the next few months. Don’t worry – you can still stay up to date with our news via our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn channels, as well as our website. We will update these channels regularly so you

4 years ago

CEAT events postponed

Due to rising concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus, CEAT is suspending all planned events for the time being. This is in line with government requirements to cancel all non-essential gatherings. We hope to deliver virtual and remote activities over the coming months, and will keep this page updated. For more information contact [email protected].

4 years ago

evokeAG wrap up

Tickets sold out to evokeAG 2020, held in Melbourne and the biggest agri-food tech event in the Asia Pacific region. Well over 1000 delegates came together to discuss how innovation and technology can help solve the biggest challenges in agriculture, both in Australia and globally. Speakers included John Hartnett of SVG Ventures and THRIVE, Frank

4 years ago

Introducing Jessica Fearnley

Jessica Fearnley is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. Jessica’s love of agriculture developed in Year 8, when agriculture became part of her curriculum. She says that she had a fantastic teacher who was very passionate and it was hard to not to catch his enthusiasm. Jessica continued to

4 years ago

Meet Bobby Wen

Bobby Wen is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. In 2019, Bobby completed his Bachelor of Economics/Bachelor of International Security Studies at The Australian National University, and is about to begin an Associate role at Deloitte. During his undergraduate career, Bobby has participated in a number of student exchange

4 years ago

EvokeAG scholar, Amellia Redfearn

Amellia Redfearn is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. Growing up in Sydney, there were few opportunities for Amellia to experience agriculture firsthand. However, her uncle had a farm, which is where Amellia’s passion for agriculture was born. She then attended an agricultural high school, where she discovered how

4 years ago

5 minutes with Matt Champness

Matt Champness is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. Matt’s interest in agriculture arises from the challenge Australia and the world now face to sustainably produce more food for a growing population using less land, water, labour and resources. Having graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science

4 years ago

Meet Bryce Cronin

Bryce Cronin is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. In 2020 Bryce will complete a Bachelor of Engineering in Network and Software Engineering at the University of Canberra. He is interested in the industrial applications of software engineering to the agriculture sector, with a particular desire to explore the

4 years ago

Introducing Jana Dixon

Jana Dixon is a CEAT Emerging Leader, and received a scholarship to attend evokeAG 2020. Growing up on a farm, Jana has always been exposed to and interested in agricultural life. This has led to a natural transition into agronomic consulting following her completion of a Bachelor of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Adelaide

4 years ago

Meet Professor Owen Atkin, Director of CEAT.

In his role as Director, Owen is passionate about expanding the career options of young researchers, particularly in the agriculture industry. He is also committed to building stronger relationships between ANU, CSIRO, industry and government. In March 2019, Owen was named the ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Entrepreneurial Professor in recognition of his work in creating an innovation

4 years ago

Emerging leaders to attend evokeAG 2020

Six emerging leaders in agri-tech have been selected to attend evokeAG. 2020 – Asia Pacific’s largest agrifood tech event held in Melbourne on 18–19 February. Sponsored by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT), the scholarship recipients will have the chance to immerse themselves in innovation, connect with industry leaders and explore hot topics in global agri-tech.

4 years ago

CEAT supports Emerging Leaders to attend evokeAG

This year the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology (CEAT) is partnering with evokeAG to bring six emerging leaders from across Australia to the two-day agri-food tech event in Melbourne on the 18–19 February 2020. CEAT is providing six young people interested in agri-tech, agri-food, and sustainable agriculture with a scholarship going towards travel costs, accommodation, and

4 years ago

Wildlife Drones helping to protect endangered species

In a world first, drones have been used to successfully radio-track critically endangered Sunda Pangolins in Vietnam. In November 2019, technology start-up Wildlife Drones collaborated with Save Vietnam’s Wildlife and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Saving Species project, using technology that is revolutionising the way animals are tracked. Based at the Centre for

4 years ago

Resources for bushfire awareness and safety

The current bushfire season is one of the worst on record. Disasters of this magnitude can have wide-reaching impacts on physical and mental health. For this reason, CEAT have compiled a list of resources about the best actions to take to keep yourself and your family safe this fire season. Smoke Hazardous smoke from fires

4 years ago