By Ann Marie Angebrandt
WERRIBEE will get a new centre for research and development in the Australian dairy industry.
Dairy companies and researchers from across Australia have pledged $15 million to the Dairy Innovation Centre over the next three years.
Andrew Donovan, the centre’s acting chairman, said the facility would merge five existing organisations from across the country.
They are the Dairy Process Engineering Centre; Australian Starter Culture Research Centre; UHT Centre; Australian Cheese Technology Program; and Dairy Ingredients Group of Australia.
“The benefits aren’t as much about centralising but more about looking at the needs of the manufacturers and industry, so that we can improve competitiveness,” Mr Donovan said.
The new organisation will have an initial core staff of about 30, as well as 60 research partners.
It will stand on a yet-to-be-determined site in the technology precinct.
Mr Donovan said they expect to open the centre by next January.
