Poultry CRC CEO, Professor Mingan Choct, accepted the award at the final session of the 2008 World’s Poultry Congress in Brisbane on 4 July.

"This is a very satisfying award to receive, particularly at this point in the CRC’s lifecycle, with a lot of people working very hard in the last five years to achieve practical outcomes for the Australian poultry industries," said Professor Choct.

Established in 2003, the Armidale-based Poultry CRC involves researchers, educators and support staff from twenty-three participating organisations. The Centre’s wide-ranging research programs, which focus on sustainability for the egg and chicken meat industries, make it a stand out contributor to world poultry research. For example, in 2007 a Poultry CRC PhD student overturned a thirty-year dogma that alpha-toxin caused necrotic enteritis, a disease that costs the global poultry industries an estimated US$2 billion annually.

"It is great to see the Poultry CRC receiving this level of international recognition," said Bob Ingham, owner of Inghams Enterprises, Australia’s largest chicken meat producer.

"We saw great benefit in having an organisation like the CRC and that's why Inghams has been with the Poultry CRC from day one," added Mr Ingham.

"The CRC programme has had many successes over its seventeen years and this award endorses both the program and some brilliant work that stems from collaborative research. I think the poultry industry can be well proud of this CRC’s achievement," commented Senator Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

"Reducing the risk of disease, reducing mortality and improving feed conversion are just some of the practical outcomes being transferred to industry.

"I think it is essential that we have innovation programs that can solve the widest range of problems."

Senator Carr announced a wide ranging review of Australia's national innovation system, including the CRC Programme, in January, with a Green Paper expected by the end of July, followed by a Government White Paper.

"So much is being achieved, but we need to secure a second term for the CRC to maximise the long term benefits to industry, as it takes longer for agricultural science outcomes to be transferred into impact in the industry," added Professor Choct.