Australian Research Capacity - Opportunities

• There are enormous opportunities to develop new collaborative initiatives between geographically distant research groups within Australia
• Outreach activities to schools and the wider community will educate people and stimulate interest in these emerging technologies
• Involvement with bio-artists builds upon the international reputation of Australian pioneers in this field and will attract many more practitioners to Australia for innovative work, and
• Paradigms for ethical debate will be developed by the diverse members of the ARNTE that includes ethicists, philosophers, doctors, scientists, engineers and artists
• The individuals in the various research groups possess a vast amount of complementary scientific knowledge and expertise in the disciplines required for tissue engineering
• Participants in ARNTE are members of the premier tissue engineering groups within Australia who all have strong international links, which will be shared with a diversity of colleagues across Australia
• ARNTE provides the opportunity to forge more links with our closest neighbours, researchers in SE Asia
• The biological, biotechnical and medical implications of these networks will open opportunities in related fields
• Intensive workshops will generate collaborations to access funding for new research projects
• ARNTE will identify new funding and commercial opportunities.
• Strong Tissue Engineering activities will attract researchers and new business opportunities to Australia
• The training of postgraduate students and recruitment of postdoctoral researchers into these fields will build a huge body of expertise within Australia that will drive further research activities
• Many of these developments will lead to new Commercial opportunities
• Successful Tissue Engineering will address crucial clinical needs that are of increasing need in an ageing population
• Healthcare savings resulting from implementation of Tissue Engineering devices will encourage further research projects and developments
• BioMedical applications will provide the basis for novel treatments that can be exported to wider markets, and
• The expertise in Tissue Engineering can be readily extended to new clinical situations.