New research into the impact of water reforms on New South Wales irrigators and how they can benefit from an increased emphasis on co-operatives will be revealed at a seminar at Charles Sturt University (CSU) later this week.

Monash University is to begin offering maternity leave grants to encourage academics to return to their careers. [ + ]

Final results from the initial stage of Virax's Phase I/II study of its lead HIV immune based therapy, VIR201, have shown the drug to be safe but whether it will elicit an immune response is still open to question. [ + ]

Science is coming to the rescue of Sydney's historic sandstone buildings with a first-ever study by a chemist at the University of Technology, Sydney into the forces chipping away at the city's heritage.

The Minister for Education, Science and Training Dr Brendan Nelson has announced the the membership of the Reference Group charged with overseeing the mapping of Australia’s science and innovation activities across the public and private sectors.

A Genetic Technologies cell sorting program has been given a boost with the appointment of US scientist Dr Ralph Bohmer, an expert in using flow cytometry for differentiating cells, to lead the project. [ + ]

The death of Australia's first cloned sheep, Matilda, is not the only setback in efforts to clone livestock species -- nor will it be the last, says Dr Ian Lewis, program leader with the Cooperative Research Centre for Innovative Dairy Products. [ + ]

A freeze on access by researchers to any human embryo not in storage for at least one year is among proposed official guidelines on the use of embryonic stem cells released this week by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). [ + ]

Melbourne-based biotech Autogen will receive $AUD1.39 million in a milestone payment from commercial partner Merck, the company announced today. [ + ]

Drug development companies are dipping into dangerous waters by trying to persuade investors that the industry can achieve the same improvements in product cycle times delivered by other manufacturing industries, warns US-based bio-IT specialist Dan Stevens. [ + ]

Dr Willem (Pim) Stemmer has spent the past decade demonstrating, in the most graphic manner possible, the value of biodiversity, and the existence of a massive genetic treasure trove in nature, far greater than the sum of its individual components. [ + ]

The Nobel winner count for July's International Congress of Genetics has risen to eight, with confirmation that Sir John Sulston will be joining fellow 2002 Medicine laureates Sir Sydney Brenner and Prof Robert Horvitz in Melbourne. [ + ]

Severe burns, like those experienced by Bali bombing victims, could be healed in half the time due to world-first research by QUT and the Red Cross. The International Red Cross Society Bali Relief Fund has provided more than $300,000 for the research project which aims to speed the rate at which a skin graft grows both in the laboratory and on a patient's body.

US company Cephalon has made a $AUD271 million takeover offer for Sydney-based cancer treatment company Sirtex Medical. [ + ]

The Geoffrey Gardiner Dairy Foundation has announced the inaugural recipients of its major research and development funding initiative. [ + ]