About the ATFM

The AFTM was launched on 4 September 2013 with the mission to provide leadership in scientific and technological innovation to meet the Australian and global food challenges. The Centre was awarded $2.1M from the ARC with three postdoctoral fellowships and 10 postgraduate scholarships, and > $3M cash and in-kind contributions from our partner research institutes and industry partners.

The Centre formally commenced operations at the end of 2013 and much of the activity in the first eight months was devoted to developing the specific research areas for the Centre’s projects with each industry partner, and to the recruitment of suitable postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

As an Industrial Training Centre we must foster close partnerships between university-based researchers and other research end-users to provide innovative Higher Degree by Research (HDR) and postdoctoral training for the end-user focused research industries vital to Australia’s future.

ATFM is pleased to have as our university based research partners The University of New South Wales (UNSW), The University of Newcastle (UoN) and University of Western Sydney (UWS). Through this research consortium we have linked with industrial partners from: Allripe, Pepsico, Coorow Seeds, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Green’s, Peanut Company of Australia, Simplot, CSIRO and the University of Nebraska’s Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP).

ATFM has as its goals to:

1. Foster opportunities for Higher Degree by Research candidates and postdoctoral fellows to pursue industrial training

2. Drive growth, productivity and competitiveness by linking to key growth sectors

3. Enhance competitive research collaboration between universities and organisations outside the Australian higher education sector

4. Strengthen the capabilities of industries and other research end-users in identified Industrial Transformation Priority areas.

Centre structure