Aim

As a major Australian collaborative initiative, a key component of the NSCC succcess will be the abilit to unite many of the country's leading academic researchers with the biotechnology industry, to develop innovative therapeutic products to treat a range of serious injuries and debilitating diseases.

    The aim of the ASCN is to stengthen the international competitive competitiveness of Australia's stem cell community by:
  • Establishing a framework which will enable inclusive partipation in NSCC activities, and encouraging a vigorous national participation level across a broad range of paricipants with a multiplicity of expertise and interests
  • Facilitating networking to promote communication and knowledge sharing across the biotechnology industry and between industry and community groups
  • Leveraging the impact of the biotechnology industry by identifying national industry synergies, and providing mechanisms for the Network partipants to respond to these needs

Action

The creation of the ASCN would enable the NSCC to advance its goal of creating a forum in science, ethics, policy, business and awareness in the Australian community. The ASCN will deliver a national program of events which will facilitate:

    The ASCN will deliver a national program of events which will facilitate:
  • Sharing of knowledge and discussion of ideas
  • Debate of ethical and legal principles
  • Skill development through dedicated training programs
  • Outreach programs for community groups
  • Promotion of stem cell related programs, events and initiatives
  • Increased awareness of business opportunities and areas of potential collaboration
  • A unified voice in relation to emerging stem cell issues
  • Promotion of Australia's stem cell technologies to international communities

    This is relevant to the NSCC's mandate as part of the Australian Federal Government's Backing Australia's Ability" program
  • Be a key driver and catalyst for Australia's continuing development of world-class capability in biotechnology research and its application for economic and social benefit to Australia
  • Increase Australia's capacity to be globally competitive in the creation and application of biotechnologies
  • Build the international reputation of the Australian Biotechnolgy sector
  • Foster the creation of spin-off companies, networks and clusters of commercial biotechnology activity within Australia
  • Make the Centre and its role widely known within Australia with the aim of encouraging use of the Centre
  • Commercialise Centre intellectual property in such a manner as to ensure that the maximum financial and investment benefits accrues to Australia, including without limitation, Australian industry and the Australian economny generally
  • Keep the Australian Government informed about opportunities to enhance the Centre.

Action

Anyone with an interest in facilitating stem cell research in Australia is encouraged to partipate in the ASCN. This creates a significant challenge for the ASCN in terms of meeting the diverse level and type of information requirements of very different audiencs, with a range of different agenda.

To overcome this challenge, the Network will need to categorise its participants into loosely defined groups who share similar information needs and interests. The Network would also neeed to achieve a balance between activities and events which involve everyone in the network, and events which are specifically targeted to key audience groups

The ASCN participants would fall into a least one of three broadly defined primary target audiences, outlies below.

    Academic Researchers
  • Universities
  • Research Institutes
  • Hospitals and Health Care Providers
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Co-operative Research Centres
  • ARC Centres of Excellence
  • Existing scientific network associates and socieites

    Biotechnology Professionals
  • Biotechnology companies
  • Scientific equipment manufacturers
  • Ethic committeees
  • Federal and State Government Departments
  • Commercilisation groups
  • Legal corporatinos
  • Finanical and venture capital organisations
  • Business development firms
  • Media and public relations outlets
  • Scientific recruitment agancie
  • Existing biotechnology industry networks and associations
    Community Development Groups
  • Patient advocacy agencies
  • Community Support Networks
  • Teacher network and associations
  • Patients with conditions which may be treated using stem cells
  • General practitioner and health networks