Context - Structure

World-class Universities have joined with the Australian Research Council and a number of other Participants to establish ARNTE as a national network linking hundreds of professionals - in academia, industry, government and elsewhere - with each other and with related and international settings. A wide range of complementary disciplines are represented, including clinicians, biomedical engineers, basic cell/molecular biologists, chemists, polymer chemists, nanotechnologists, and ethicists.

UNSW is currently the Host Institution for ARNTE, which is led by a Network Convenor and managed day-to-day by a Network Administrator. A Steering Committee designs an Annual Program of networking activities in consultation with Participants and the broader membership, and monitors impact and outcomes in order to continually enhance this program and to report to its constituents. The network will host an annual conference of all constituents, as well as allied groups, and will foster international visits as well as targeted workshops around “common goal” themes.

ARNTE has a particular interest in promoting the position of Australian tissue engineering science internationally, particularly the encouragement of links with ex-pat scientists, but also the strengthening of established international links and the development of new links. It is anticipated that ARNTE will formalize a structural link with key international peak bodies such as Tissue Engineering Society International and the European Tissue Engineering Society in 2004.

ARNTE also has a particular interest in encouraging young scientists (the convenor is an Early Career Resarcher), end users and community involvement in network activities. It is also essential that ARNTE caters for the needs of clinicians, medical educators, SMEs, regulators (particularly the Therapeutic Goods Administration) and policy-makers. A set of Advisory Committees will support the Steering Committee in the design of network activities for these audiences.

The Diagram shows the relationship of ARNTE to the ARC through the UNSW Host (Administrating) Institution. The Participant key players named in the ARC submission represent a much wider group of individual researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders. An advisory / steering committee meets regularly to discuss all issues and advise the convenor. We propose that a number of research teams will fall out around key issues identified, and these will straddle research institutional boundaries. ARNTE will interface, in an integrated way, with key “audiences” such as the Regulatory Agencies, SMEs, Innovation offices at the state government level, and Regulatory agencies such as the TGA. We envision that the network will foster the implementation of new companies related to tissue engineering, represented by New TE Co.