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Updated in August  2005

Doing business with RIRDC - 2008-09 research applications open
RIRDC invites preliminary research proposals for R&D projects that address our strategic priorities for our three key areas - new rural industries, established rural industries, and national rural issues.

Individuals and consortia of research providers are invited to use the application process to express interest to meet part, or all, of the research priorities detailed in our sector 5-year R&D plans. For details on the application process, including the guide Doing Business with RIRDC, go to www.rirdc.gov.au/business

NEW & EMERGING INDUSTRIES
New Plant Products Asian Foods Rare Natural (Animal) Fibres Tea Tree Oil	New Animal Products Essential Oils & Plant Extracts Wildflowers & Native Plants
ESTABLISHED INDUSTRIES
Honeybee Fodder Crops Buffalo Horses Organic Systems	Rice Pasture Seeds Chicken Meat Deer
SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS
Agroforestry & Farm Forestry Resilient Agricultural Systems Rangeland & Wildlife Systems	Environment & Farm Management
CAPACITY BUILDING AND COMPETITIVENESS
Global Competitiveness Food Inegrity and Biosecurity Human Capital, Communications and Information Systems

NEW  & EMERGING INDUSTRIES   Objective: To investigate and develop prospects for new industries in rural and regional Australia
Budget: $2 460 000   The budget for this program will be financed principally from Commonwealth appropriation funds but there are also some voluntary industry contributions.

New Plant Products

• Initiate research on bushfoods, olives and tropical fruits in line with agreed industry R&D needs and priorities.
• Commence new projects on pesticide Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)s for culinary herbs, the field evaluation and multiplication of clonal teas, virus-free garlic production, coriander, walnut, market strategies for longan and rambutan, and an acacia species and Dorycnium as forage species.
• Initiate work on cocoa as a potential crop for northern Australia.
• Act on the findings of the market and technical feasibility study for non-wood fibres.
• Establish research on prospective broadacre crops.
• Continue the cashew breeding program and nutrition management strategies, and undertake further research into the biological control of major cashew pests.


New Animal Products

• Assess the feasibility of rabbit and hare industries in Australia.
• Develop market strategies for buffalo meat for the domestic trade.
• Complete assessment and development of compounded pellets for farmed crocodiles in place of feeding fresh meat products.


Asian Foods

• Develop production guides for a range of newer Asian vegetables, including water chestnuts, lotus, hot chilli pepper, wasabi and mioga.
• Commercialise research outputs for Asian-style tempeh-based snack foods.


Essential Oils and Plant Extracts

• Assess the market opportunities in North America for Australian essential oils and plant extracts.
• Develop new projects on boronia, parsley, chamomile, and on the medicinal herb valerian.


Rare Natural Animal Fibres

• Develop improved breeding methods for cashmere and mohair producing goats.
• Foster development of mohair products in Australia by cooperative activities with commercial interests.
• Strengthen producer adoption of clip preparation standards for Australian alpaca fibre.


Tea Tree Oil

• Further yield gains expected from the next stage of the tea tree breeding program.
• Assess the anti-inflammatory activity of tea tree oil and its components to provide strengthened market demand.
• Assess skin sensitivity to tea tree oil in vivo to provide firm proof that tea tree oil is a safe topical antimicrobial agent.


Wildflowers and Native Plants

• Continue evaluation and licensing of promising new wildflowers and foliage.
• Assure the effective flow of appropriately tailored information to growers.
• Start new work on evaluating the commercial potential of North Queensland wildflowers and foliages; the grafting of Eriostemon australasius to enable its cultivation, a potential new means of extending vase life; the selection of eucalyptus buds and flowers for export, and new forms of Boronia heterophylla and Scholtzia species.

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Established Industries

Objective: To maximise the contribution of R&D to the profitability and sustainability of the established rural industries for which RIRDC provides R&D management services

Budget: $8 471 568

  The budget for this program will be financed principally by industry levies and matching dollar for dollar contributions from the Commonwealth.

Chicken Meat

• Initiate a research program to develop alternative control measures for necrotic enteritis.
• Develop a strategy for improving the management of wastes from broiler chicken farms, with a particular emphasis on litter usage and disposal.
• Achieve an improved understanding of the source and epidemiology of the virulent Newcastle disease viruses associated with recent outbreaks in Australia.
• Support the industry to use the results from the international benchmarking study completed in 1998–99.
• Provide a comparative assessment of all aspects of different egg productions systems.
• Improve the security and quality of feed grain supply.


Honeybee

• Finalise the development of bait hives to assist in preventing Apis cerana incursions.
• Support increased adoption of quality assurance programs by honey producers.
• Complete a hospital assessment of the efficacy of ‘active’ honeys against infections.


Rice

• Advance several new varieties to testing for future release.
• Develop an innovative ground rig-spraying mechanism as a substitute for aerial spraying.
• Assess rice blast fungicide development for Australia.


Horses

• Enhance the research and development expertise available to the Australian horse industry.
• Implement a strategy for an epidemiologically based project on developmental orthopaedic disease, involving the key breeding areas in Australia.
• Enhance collaborative research projects between institutions and between researchers and veterinary practitioners.


Fodder Crops

• Release several new fodder crop varieties.
• Finalise a more accurate screening test for monitoring Corynetoxin contamination of fodder so that the industry can integrate this into its quality assurance system.
• Produce a fodder industry production atlas that will provide a better picture of the structure of the industry.


Pasture Seeds

• Finalise a detailed industry cost study.
• Release several new legume varieties with good export potential.

Develop international standards for disease testing in lucerne.


Deer

• Foster information and technology transfer by the Industry Development Officer.
• Develop an integrated package of projects on deer nutrition.

Strengthen existing markets and develop new markets.


Buffalo
 
 

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Agroforestry and Farm Forestry
• Commence a major collaborative project to develop species suitable for medium to low rainfall agroforestry in southern Australia.
• Assess the extent to which native hardwood farm forestry on cleared agricultural land can contribute to achieving biological conservation goals.
• Develop a whole farm and regional agroforestry decision-making system.
• Provide information to farm forestry groups on commercially important tree species and their wood properties and a handbook to assist species/provenance selection.
• Produce a farm-forestry site-selection manual.
• Identify new niche venison market opportunities in Europe, North America and Australia.
• Facilitate the adoption of an industry quality assurance program by producers, transporters and processors.

 
Envrionment and Far Management
 

Rangeland and Wildlife systems
 

Resilient Agricultural Systems

• Provide the R&D base to underpin the development of internationally acceptable accreditation systems for sustainable agricultural production and new and emerging agri-industry systems.
• Encourage the emergence of innovative production systems for food and fibre including the integration with other land uses of aquaculture, hydroponics, and the use of wild plant and animal resources particularly in the rangelands.
• Identify the constraints and risks imposed by pests, weeds and diseases and improve the methods used to control them.
• Review agriculture’s potential role as a provider of pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and industrial products.


Organic Produce

• Hold regional industry development seminars illustrating farmer/processor conversion from conventional farming to organic farming systems.
• Strengthen a training program to encourage greater awareness and adoption of organic farming systems and practices.
• Contribute to technical R&D sessions for an industry conference.

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Capacity Building and Competitiveness

Objective: To identify key generic cross-sectoral issues confronting the rural sector and devise appropriate R&D programs that will benefit the sector and the nation

Budget: $3 586 000

  The budget for this program will be financed principally from Commonwealth appropriation funding. However, there is a component of joint funding from other R&D corporations including Farm Occupational Health and Safety.

Global Competitiveness

• Produce a series of research reports on crucial issues, which will support the next World Trade Organisation (WTO) round of trade policy reform negotiations.
• Analyse a range of domestic impediments to the efficient development of agricultural industries, especially such things as the provision and pricing of economic infrastructure and the potential impact of occupational licensing.
• Analyse the reasons for the export-led growth and success of the Australian wine industry and especially the implications for other emerging industries.


Food Integrity and Biosecurity
 
 

Human Capital, Communications and Information Systems

• Assess the attitudinal factors that have an impact on farm business performance to establish how training and learning methodologies can be improved.
• Support a new Rural Women’s Award.
• Publish a second edition of the Farmer’s Guide to the Internet.
• Undertake a study of older farmers and retirement including the development, pilot and evaluation of a retirement planning education program for farmers.

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Corporate
• Corporate Activities, Finance & Administration
• Staffing
• Corporate Communications
• Commercialisation

Program Impact Evaluation  (includes returns from R & D)




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Last updated: June 2005
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