New and Emerging Industries

New Rural Industries

Providing the knowledge to grow, sustain and diversify Australia's rural industries.

Industries represented include Essential Oils and Plant Extracts, Wildflowers and Native Plants, Tea Tree Oil, Olives and Bioenergy, Bioproducts and Energy. In addition, RIRDC invests in two large "incubator" programs - New Plant Products and New Animal Products - which include sub programs and projects servicing and investigating a variety of new, small and emerging industries, such as Asian vegetables, tropical fruit, coffee, kangaroo, rare and natural animal fibres, buffalo, ratites, crocodiles, game birds, farmed rabbit, dairy goats and sheep and camels. They can be found on this website at:

RIRDC has the role of providing the knowledge for diversification to a wide range of Australia's regions, communities and farmers. We have a unique mandate to invest in research and development for new, small and emerging industries, where:

Industries have significant market opportunities
Australian industry is likely to have a competitive advantage
Industries are attractive to producers for expansion
They provide community resilience
There is market failure
Industries come to us with a levy or voluntary contribution
Feasibility studies are required to indicate the potential of a new industry
R&D is not covered by other corporations.

We achieve this through:

Close relationships with industry to target industry needs and enhance adoption and investment, and keep track of industry status and research needs
Research managers interfacing between industry and scientists
Experienced scientists managing programs - adding value to research and adoption
Being innovative and flexible
Engaging expert scientists in research for emerging rural industries
Building capacity for R&D for new and emerging industries
Growing revenue through good relationships with stakeholders
Interacting with researchers to ensure that projects are of high quality and meet industry needs
Publication of research findings in high quality reports accessible both to industry and research community
Ensuring that budgets and effort match size and needs of industry.

Research programs are managed by RIRDC on behalf of these industries and are funded through one or more of the following sources:

Government appropriations provided directly to RIRDC
Voluntary contributions provided from the industries and matched by RIRDC
Statutory producer levies that are matched by Government.

The portfolio is also responsible for the leadership of two national R&D Planning processes:

New and Emerging Industries, and
Bioenergy and Biofuels.

New Crop Industries Handbook

RIRDC's publication The New Crop Industries Handbook, RIRDC pub. no. 04/125, is a comprehensive introduction to new crop industries in Australia. It presents research findings and draws on practical experience of experts. It is a guide for farmers, investors, advisors, bank managers, students and others who want to find out more about new crop opportunities.

Click here to view a low resolution copy of the complete Handbook.

Click here to purchase the hardcopy from the RIRDC print-on-demand bookshop.

RIRDC Senior Research Managers, New Rural Industries:

Alan Davey, Senior Research Manager
New and Emerging Industries
Phone: 02 6271 4126

Julie Bird, Senior Research Manager
New and Emerging Industries
Phone: 02 6271 4140

Alison Saunders, Senior Research Manager
New and Emerging Industries
Phone: 02 6271 4124