The School was extremely successful in obtaining funding through the Australian Research Councils competitive grants schemes, thus the financial strategy in 2003 focused on consolidation and up-grading of resources required to support both the new and on-going research. Two new positions - dedicated to overseeing the safety and operation of laboratories facilities and building plant and equipment - were established. Several items of new equipment were purchased, and the ongoing programme of expenditure on small to medium items of research and IT equipment to replace old and obsolete items was continued. In addition increased funding for PhD scholarships has resulted in an over 50% increase in the total number of PhD students in the School.
In addition to recurrent income, the research contracts with biotechnology companies Progen Industries Ltd. and Lipotek Pty. Ltd continued throughout the year. Funding was also received through the Australian Research Councils Discovery and Linkage Schemes plus from a variety of other external sources, details of which are given below. In addition the School continues to make patent applications for work carried out by several of the research groups, and work is undertaken by the microanalytical unit, the mass spectrometry unit, and the glass and mechanical workshops for external clients.
The annual recurrent grant for the School ($10,641,000) was supplemented by external income ($5,726,942). The recipients and sources of external grants are listed below:
** denotes a new grant in 2003
Professor C.J. Easton
Synthesis of nitrilotriacetic acid compounds
Lipotek Pty Ltd, July 2002-July 2003
Professor C.J. Easton **
Amino acid and peptide radicals in biochemistry and
synthesis
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Professor C.J. Easton **
Platform technology for new pharmaceuticals
ACT
Government,March 2003-March 2004
Professor C.J. Easton and Dr M. Casarotto
**
Synthetic compounds to specifically activate or inhibit ryanodine
receptor calcium ion channels, Australian Research Council
and Biotron Ltd., Linkage-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Professor G. Otting
New methods for structural biology in solution
Australian
Research Council, Federation Fellowship, January 2002-December 2006
Professor G. Otting **
New methods for structural biology in solution
Australian
Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2007
Professor G. Otting **
800Mhz NMR spectrometer for molecular structure-function
analyses
Australian Research Council, Linkage Infrastructure
(Equipment and Facilities), January 2003-December 2003
Professor G. Otting and Dr N.E. Dixon **
Enabling technologies for structural genomes
Australian
Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Dr A. Torda
Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing, July 2000-June
2003
Dr M.L. Coote
Hydrogen abstraction in chemical, biochemical and polymerisation
processes
Australian Research Council, Postdoctoral Fellowship, June 2002-June 2005
Professor L. Radom
Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing, July 2000-June
2003
Dr G.A. Heath **
Redox-modulation of metal-metal bonding (Visit to Photon
Factory, Japan)
Australian Synchrotron Research Program, November 2003
Professor T.R. Welberry **
Development of methods and strategies for the measurement,
interpretation and analysis of diffuse X-ray scattering from disordered
materials
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December
2005
Professor T.R. Welberry **
Diffuse neutron scattering benzil (Visit to ISIS Facility, UK)
Access to Major Research Facilities Program, April 2003
Professor T.R. Welberry **
Diffuse scattering from crystals containing flexible organic
molecules (Visit to Advanced Photon Source, Chicago) Australian
Synchrotron Research Program, November 2003
Professor T.R. Welberry, Dr R.L. Withers,
Professor A. Pring and Dr N. Ishizama **
The effects of local strain on the crystal structure of solid
solutions
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,
January 2003-December 2005.
Dr R.D. Webster
In situ electrochemical NMR spectroscopy
Australian Research
Council, Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship, June 2001-June 2006
Professor S.B. Wild **
Asymmetric synthesis of chiral phosphines, arsines and
stibines
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January
2003-December 2005
Professor S.B. Wild **
Asymmetric synthesis of chiral phosphines and
arsines
Australian-German Joint Research Cooperation Scheme, June
2003
Professor E.R. Krausz **
New generation metalloenzyme MCD spectrometer
systems
Australian Research Council, Linkage Infrastructure
(Equipment and Facilities),
January 2003-December 2003
Dr E.M. Sevick and Professor D.J.
Evans**
Experimental demonstrations of violations of the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,
January 2003-December 2005
Professor L.N. Mander **
Preparation of photo-affinity molecular probes for the identification
of gibberellin receptors
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Dr M.S. Sherburn **
New cascade routes to biologically important molecules
Australian Research Council,
Discovery-Projects, January 2002-December 2004
Dr M.S. Sherburn and Professor M. Paddon-Row**
New horizons in Diel-Alder chemistry
Australian Research
Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Dr E.M. Sevick and Professor D.J. Evans
**
Experimental demonstrations of violations of the Second Law of
Thermodynamics
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,
January 2003-December 2005
Dr D.L. Ollis **
Directed evolution used to probe protein structure and Funcation: new
enzymes for bio-remediation and industry Australian Research
Council, Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Dr N.E. Dixon, Dr E. Liepinsh and Dr J. Carazo
Structures and functions of bacterial
replisomal proteins Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,
January 2002-December 2004.
Dr N.E. Dixon and Professor G. Otting **
Enabling technologies for structural
genomes
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,January
2003-December 2005
Dr K. Ozawa **
Subunit contacts in the replicative DNA
polymerase: A new paradigm for protein-protein interactions
Australian Research Council, Linkage-Postdoctoral Fellowship (CSIRO),
October 2003-October 2006
Professor R.L. Withers, Professor T.R.
Welberry, Professor A. Pring and Dr N. Ishizama**
The effects of local strain on the
crystal structure of solid solutions
Australian Research Council,
Discovery-Projects, January 2003-December 2005
Dr M.J. Henderson **
Model milk fat membranes and self-assembled metal oxide films at the
air-water interface (Visit to ISIS Facility, UK) Access to Major
Research Facilities Program, November 2003
Professor V.J. James **
A study of changes in the diffraction patterns of human and baboon
hair with disease (Visit to Advanced Photon Source, Chicago)
Australian Synchrotron Research Program, April 2003
Professor V.J. James **
A study of changes in the diffraction patterns hair with disease
(Visit to Advanced Photon Source, Chicago) Access to Major Research
Facilities Program, June 2003
Mr A. Perriman **
Protein behaviour at interfaces Australian Institute of Nuclear
Science and Engineering Student Award, July 2003-June 2004
Dr P.A. Reynolds **
Oil and water emulsions and microemulsions (Visit to NIST Facility,
USA) Access to Major Research Facilities Program, September 2003
Professor J.W. White **
Emulsion stability and the liquid/liquid interface (Visit to ISIS
Facility, UK) Access to Major Research Facilities Program, July 2003
Professor J.W. White and Dr S.A. Holt
The nanoscale structure of milk: stability implications for milk
products
Dairy Research and Development Program, January
2001-June 2004
Professor J.W. White, Dr P.A. Reynolds, Dr
R.J. Goodridge and Dr C. Such
High internal phase emulsions - structure and rheology
control
Australian Research Council and ORICA Australia Ltd., Linkage-Projects,
January 2002-December 2004
Professor M.G. Banwell
Progen phase III synthesis and identification of novel, heparinoid
mimetics and development of the heparanase enzyme as diagnostic and
therapeutic target
Progen Industries Ltd, October 2002-September
2005
Professor M.G. Banwell
Generation and exploitation of fermentation products in the chemical
synthesis of biologically active compounds with therapeutic
potential
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects,
January 2002-December 2004
Professor M.G. Banwell **
Development of chemoenzymatic methods for the selective elaboration
of polyfunctionalised therapeutic agents to oligomers with improved
efficacy
Australian Research Council and Biota Holdings Ltd,
Linkage-Projects, December 2003-December 2006
Professor M.G. Banwell and Mr X.H. Ma
Chemoenzmatic synthesis of novel sialic acid analogues related to the
potent anti-influenza drug Relenza
Australian Research Council
and Biota Holdings, February 2000-January 2003
Dr B.D.K. Kelly
Chemoenzymatic routes to spinosyns - a new environmentally benign
class of insecticides
Australian Research Council, Postdoctoral
Fellowship, January 2001-May 2003
Professor A.F. Hill **
Metallaboratranes: Soft scorpionates and masked metal
bases
Australian Research Council, Discovery-Projects, January
2003-December 2005
Professor M.A. Collins
Australian Partnership for Advanced Computing, July 2000-June
2003