Invasive animals cost Australasia at least $720 million p.a. through environmental, economic and social damage. Most agricultural sectors suffer significant economic losses from invasive animals and Australia's environmental and social capital is also affected. Australian markets for solutions are often restricted and the barriers to market entry, including regulatory compliance, are often prohibitively costly in relation to market scale. The cost of registering a new toxin, for example, is beyond the capacity of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to deliver, yet the benefit to industries such as grain or wool might be measured in the tens of millions of dollars annually. 

Commercialisation Management

The IA CRC’s strong focus on delivering new, innovative products requires an investment in resources that are solely focussed on this outcome. Commercialisation Management within the IA CRC encompasses efficient and practical advice and services that enhance the commercial readiness of the R&D process, and streamline all registration efforts using this R&D in order to maximise the gain from their participation in the IA CRC. The commercialisation management project has seen the registration and launch of the IA CRC’s first product in 2008, PIGOUT®, and has continued to be involved in the management of the PAPP canid toxicant project, the CO rabbit fumigator and freeze-dried rabbit haemorrhagic disease product.

Intellectual Property (IP) Management

The IA CRC manages its own Background IP (BIP) and Centre IP (CIP). An IP Management Plan has been implemented and the first Commercialisation & IP workshop was completed with student cohort 1 and 2 in March 2007.

International Markets: IA CRC Offshore

A number of the CRC's potential products have utility outside of Australia and accordingly this project also encompasses offshore promotion and uptake.  By recognising and establishing an 'Offshore' objective at the outset, the opportunity to engage with other countries and agencies is maximised. Current offshore activities are concentrated on configurations of the PIGOUT^® matrix, and shortly the Boar Buffet, to deliver vaccines and contraceptives, and trials of the CO pressure fumigator. Collaboration are currently occurring with the USA (Dept. of Agriculture), UK (Central Science Laboratory and Veterinary Laboratory Agency), New Zealand (Landcare Research, Connovation, Dept of Conservation) and as of this year Israel and Mexico. The CRC’s fertility control research is also a major international collaboration involving CSL, the USDA National Wildlife Research Centre and Landcare Research NZ.

Project outcomes:

A primary aim of the IA CRC is to deliver new, innovative, market researched products that meet a market need and have been demonstrated in practice and with scientific rigour, to be welcomed additional tools in reducing the impacts of invasive animals.  This project underpins this aim by maximising the value in IA CRC and participant intellectual property, coordinating national and international registrations, commercialisation, market delivery and uptake of AIA CRC products. Innovative products will be packaged such that social and economic instruments are put in place to facilitate regional scale uptake and deployment.

A list of product outcomes being actively progressed are:

1. Registered manufactured virus baits for the control of rabbits:
   A freeze-drying formulation and protocol that maintains RHDV viability, antigen presentation and pathogenicity has been developed. Current data indicates that the virus is relatively stable for 3 months at room temperature and very stable for at least 6 months when refrigerated.  A new product registration application will be submitted to the APVMA in late 2008 and should be assessed within 6 months. The IA CRC is keen to see the new product branded and is aiming to hold a naming rights competition to increase the profile of the damaging nature of rabbits and the availability of this new product in controlling rabbits.

2. A new CO pressure fumigation device for integrated rabbit management:
   The final prototype has been completed and initial bench testing has proven positive.  The performance of the prototype will now be tested under a range of conditions that will mimic operation in the field so that the robustness and reliability of the prototype can be checked out and optimized. Once the effectiveness of this technique has been proven in field trials, a registration application will be submitted to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

3. New toxic, vaccine and contraceptive bait packages for the control of feral pigs in Australasia and internationally:
   An application for PIGOUT^® approval by the APVMA was submitted in September 2006.  This was approved in December 2007 and PIGOUT^® was launched cooperatively with Meat and Livestock Australia and Animal Control Technologies Australia Pty Ltd in March 2008. It is now being used commercially throughout Australia.

4. New bait/toxin packages for the control of wild dogs and foxes:
   Formulation and quality assurance of product manufacture has been finalised; small-scale-fox efficacy studies, non-target risk assessments, environmental safety studies and antidote testing have been completed. A registration application is expected to be submitted before 2008 with the review of this registration application by the APVMA expected to take up to 24 months.

5. New single dose contraceptive/sterilant active constituent developed for pest animals:
   Two technologies have been in-licensed by the CRC, one from a small US company (SenesTech Inc) and a second from the University of Newcastle. Both technologies have the potential to be delivered orally, with the target species being browsing herbivores such as Eastern Grey Kangaroos or brumbies.

6. IP management strategy and plan developed for board approval and implementation.