Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation

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Our Vision:

Our Vision is for a more profitable, dynamic and sustainable rural sector.  What this means for RIRDC:  To achieve this vision RIRDC will be:  recognised as a leading manager of research and development; commercially oriented and have tangible cost-effective delivery benefits for stakeholders; and  accountable to client groups and government.

Our Mission:

Our Mission is to make and manage research and development investments on behalf of government and industry for the benefit of the rural sector. RIRDC has three core businesses:  fostering the development of new industries – both prospective and emerging;  managing research and development investments for established industries;  addressing strategic cross-sectoral issues facing the rural sector. The Corporation’s Charter is detailed in the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989.

 

Our Business:	Our Business is about managing and funding priority research for Australian agriculture and translating results into practical outcomes for industry development. Put simply, our business is about new rural products and services and new and better ways of producing them.  We have a special charter to foster new rural industries and to target high priority generic, cross-sectoral issues facing rural industries. We also provide research management services to a set of established industries such as chicken meat, eggs honey, rice and horses.  During 1997-98 we financed nearly 600 projects (including scholarships, travel, conferences and workshops) in 22 program areas with a total value of $17.5 million. These areas included new and emerging plant and animal industries, established industries, and generic programs such as agribusiness, farmer information systems, rural education and sustainable farming practices.
Our Operations:	We seek applications for research projects addressing our published R&D priorities through advertisements in major newspapers and circulars to research agencies in August. We also advertise a small number of post-graduate scholarships at that time. Throughout the year we seek tenders for commissioned projects, organise workshops, review projects and research needs, evaluate project outcomes and support researchers and industry people to attend national and international conferences.
Our InvestmentFunds:	Our Investment Funds are derived from Commonwealth appropriations, voluntary industry contributions, statutory industry levies, Commonwealth dollar-for-dollar matching funds, publications sales and a small amount of royalty income.
Our Customer Values:	to be commercially orientated, cost effective and able to deliver economic and social benefits for client industries and for government;  to be professional and ethical in all our operations;  to offer timely, courteous and quality service; and  to be accountable, especially through effective reports to industry and government.
Our Staff Values:	to nurture a climate of mutual trust and respect;  to understand, accept and value individual differences and capabilities;  to recognise and respect the role of a cohesive and co-operative team, built on shared goals, successes and setbacks;  to communicate, question and consult openly and honestly throughout the whole organisation;  to clearly define roles, delegations, responsibilities and accountabilities; and  to support and commit to personal and professional development.