A model for industry engagement

1
A model for industry engagement
Australias CRC Programme
Bob Haydon 29 November 2005
2
Outline of Talk

• Partner diversity
• Sponsorship model
• Project flexibility
• Motivation for collaboration
• What does it cost?
• Learnings

3
CRC for Predictive Mineral Discovery pmdCRC
4
Our participants

• Core participants
• Research providers (6)
• AMIRA International
• Supporting participants
• State Government departments (7)
• Minerals Council of Australia
• Industry companies (12)

5
Participant Diversity - Global Megaminers to
VSEs
SMEs

• Alkane Exploration
• Ballarat Goldfields Ltd
• MPI Mines
• Leviathan Resources
• Perseverance Corporation
• Sons of Gwalia Ltd

Large Corporations
Barrick Gold Australasia Ltd Placer Dome Asia
Pacific Ltd WMC Resources Ltd Zinifex Ltd Xstrata
Copper MIMLtd Aurion Gold Goldfields Australasia
Ltd Outokumpu Oy Pasminco Ltd
6
Our sponsorship model 3 key ingredients for
industry engagement

• Choice of project types
• Flexible 2 tiered sponsorship model
• Mechanism for fast transfer of knowledge to
  industry

7
Projects types

• Collaborative projects funded by the Centre
• Confidential one-on-one projects, funded mainly
  by the individual companies
• Collaborative projects funded by an industry
  consortium via AMIRA

8
Sponsorship Flexibility

• 3 year commitment
• Majors 35k pa
• Juniors (VSEs) 10k pa
• Access to collaborative projects
• Majors full
• Juniors selective
• One-on-one projects
• Mainly with a few companies with the 7 year
  commitment

9
Fast knowledge transfer
All CRC participants
Collaborative CRC projects outcomes initially
restricted to all CRC participants/sponsors
Wider mineral exploration industry
One-on-one projects Outcomes initially
restricted to company
Conventional AMIRA projects Outcomes initially
restricted to AMIRA sponsors
Project information flow on expiry of embargo
10
Benefits from the sponsorship model

• Juniors (SMEs VSEs) enjoy the focus on their
  area of interest, for a lower fee
• Majors benefit from full access to a wide
  portfolio
• 3 year commitment is more manageable than 7 but
  is still a challenge
• Sponsorship model raises 500k untied cash per
  year
• Sponsorship helps engagement in the CRC
• Executive Research Committee
• Project Development Teams

11
Motivation for collaboration
Rapid diffusion of knowledge outcomes by Industry
Participants
Rapid diffusion at this point the critical
activity for the pmdCRC
The pmdCRC also engaged in developing modeling
capability - expected to be commercialised
12
What are the key components in pmdCRC to promote
collaboration?

• Management Process Promotes Industry Engagement
• Strategic direction of research set by Board and
  Industry stakeholders
• Industry stakeholders review, monitor and
  participate in research teams
• Embedded Researchers
• On site to facilitate the process

13
What do Industry Partners gain from collaboration?
14
What contributions are needed?

• Companies contribute both cash and in-kind
  resources
• Levels depend on magnitude of the project
• 3 months to 7 years in duration

And as a result

• Access to progress and outcomes is full and
  immediate
• The leverage gained from sponsoring (predictive
  mineral discovery) research should make this the
  favored route for smaller players mpi mines

15
Key learnings

• Industry collaboration inside the CRC essential
  to speed up diffusion as new knowledge is
  discovered
• Collaboration lifts the collective knowledge base
  and is an important leveraging tool
• Researchers embedded at the business end, make
  the difference and improve the value proposition
  many-fold before the long term CRC goals
  (commercial outcomes) are realised.
• Some companies are beginning to see research and
  adoption as seamless

16
Help to find gold by drilling holes under wheat
fields
..and finally What do we do in the pmdCRC?
17
pmd CRC
http//www.pmdcrc.com.au