The time is right for Australia to secure social and economic benefit from the genetics revolution that has been triggered by the human genome project.

What are we trying to achieve?
The Australian Genome Alliance is lobbying the Federal Government to establish a new genomics research fund to ensure that Australia's unique genetic heritage is harvested by Australia and not by other nations.

There is a window of opportunity for us to build on our research strengths and capture the benefits.

The Alliance is calling for a national effort to enable researchers to read and interpret the genetic code of plants, animals and microbes essential to Australia's long term  economic development and care for the environment.

Australia largely missed the boat with the human genome project. We were small players in a global effort to understand more about what makes us human.

The Genome Alliance believes that there is a significant opportunity now to capture the value of the genetics information that is most useful to Australians.  Genomics provides a foundation that will provide a powerful stimulus to the growth of our vibrant biotechnology industry.

What is the Australian Genome Alliance?
The Australian Genome Alliance was established by Dr Phil Batterham, Director of CESAR (Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research) and Dr Susan Forrest, Director of the Australian Genome Research Facility and is endorsed by the Genetics Society of AustralAsia.

The Alliance is a loose association of researchers working to develop genomics science for the social, economic and environmental benefit of Australia.  Membership is open and researchers are encouraged to submit genome projects for inclusion on the web site.   The projects should be of a scale that would exclude them from existing funding schemes.

Which genomes?
The Alliance aims to raise the awareness of a number of potential projects that could be considered for immediate funding.  No status or priority is given to these projects by the Alliance and the addition of projects to the list is possible at any time.

What are the outcomes?
Understanding the genome of many plants, animals and microbes will:

1. help us decode the human genome and develop a new generation of medicines to fight infections and illnesses including cancer, heart disease and mental illness;

2. allow us to dramatically improve agricultural production - creating breeds and strains suited to their environment - with disease resistance, requiring less chemicals, making better use of water, creating healthier products;