CSIRO shake-up in research divisions and executive

CSIRO has shuffled divisions to create new business units in a bid to maximise its research capabilities, the organisation announced today.

It has formed a new division by merging protein and structural biology groups at its Division of Health Sciences and Nutrition (HSN), in Melbourne's Parkville, with the Clayton-based Division of Molecular Science at Clayton.

This involves CSIRO's Adelaide-based nutrition research group within the HSN division will merge with Food Science Australia, a joint venture between CSIRO and the Victorian government, to create a new food research entity with more than 300 staff. The divisions of Atmospheric Research and Marine Research will be merged to create CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, which will have more than 500 staff.

And the Australian Financial Review has reported that CSIRO's head of commercialisation, Mehrdad Baghai, has resigned and would not renew his three-year contract. Nigel Poole will step up to be the organisation's acting head of commercialisation, the newspaper said.

Myer fund wound up

Meanwhile, the Ken and Yasuko Myer Plant Science Research Fund, whose AUD$2 million has supported eight CSIRO Plant Industry scientists for 11 years, has been wound up.

The three latest projects under the fund included research into plant flowering processes, fusarium infection of plants, and biodiversity. The fund was set up in 1994 to administer a bequest of $1 million to CSIRO Plant Industry, following the deaths of Ken and Ya