The 15th Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) funding round for 2012 will focus on clean manufacturing, social innovation and sustainable regional communities which are seen to represent significant challenges for our nation and are vital to our economic and social prosperity.

In the 15th selection round, the CRC committee will place a particular focus on applications that address the program priority areas, although applications remain open to all sectors and research disciplines, and the emphasis on quality and path to utilisation will not be diminished. In developing their proposals, applicants are encouraged to consider international linkages and collaborations.

The CRC program nurtures Australians' innate resourcefulness and innovativeness by building strong collaborations that bridge the divide between our world-class researchers and our industries and community groups, so we can tackle major challenges head on. The CRC program is partnerships between publicly funded researchers and end users - private, public or community sectors that can deploy research outcomes.

For more information on the program, selection rounds and current CRCs, visit www.crc.gov.au.