Poultry Research Foundation

The Poultry Research Foundation in the Faculty of Veterinary Science was one of the original Foundations established within the University of Sydney by the University Senate on 7th October 1958. (1) The Inaugural meeting held on 12 May 1959 saw the appointment of a chairperson, deputy chairperson and members of the Council. (2)The immediate objective of the Foundation was to provide finance to to establish and run a Poultry Husbandry Research and Teaching Unit on the Animal Husbandry Farms. The Poultry Research Foundation is located at the Camden Campus as part of the University of Sydney. The Camden farms were acquired in 1955 through generous grants of 150, 000 from three Commonwealth Boards representing the Meat, Milk and Wool industries, supplemented by gifts from banks and industries sufficient to complete several facilities for teaching and research.(3)In 1987 the Council of the Foundation undertook an extensive review of its structure and activities and as a result recommended a revised constitution to Senate. Senate approved the revised constitution at its meeting on 7 December 1987 (Res 87/378). The revisions included a name change to The Poultry Research Foundation within The University of Sydney.In 2019 the purpose of the Foundation was to provide an interface between the Australian poultry and allied industries and the Faculty of Veterinary Science. It sponsored industry related research, assisted in the training of scientific personnel and acted in an industrial liaison capacity.The Foundation aims are to:Promote, foster, develop, assist and support research in poultry science; Promote industry-related research; Assist in the training of scientific personnel; Act in an industrial liaison capacity; Organise symposia, seminars and workshops for the transfer of technical information.(3)The Foundation's contribution to the development of the Australian poultry and stock feeds industries has been achieved through research programs directed at obtaining a better understanding of the metabolism and nutritional requirements of poultry. The Poultry Research Unit at Camden facilities include fully equipped laboratories to support nutritional, metabolic, endocrine and immunological studies.The Foundation has regularly hosted workshops, seminars and symposia. In 1989 the annual Foundation Symposium was enlarged to become the Australian Poultry Science Symposium through joint collaboration with the Australian Branch of the World's Poultry Science Association. This symposium, held in February each year, now features prominently in the international calendar of Poultry Science meetings.(4)Footnotes:1) Minutes of the Senate of The University of Sydney, 7 October 1958, p.26.2) Ibid, 1 June 1959, p.294.3) Australia's First: A History of The University of Sydney Vol 2 1940-1990, p.116.4) Poultry Research Foundation website: https://sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-areas/veterinary-science/poultry-research-foundation.html [as at 13/11/2019] 5) Ibid.