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Collaboration
The GRDC is usually only one of a number of public and/or private organisations investing in the development of new technologies for the grains industry. The GRDC collaborates with other organisations to increase the return on its investment and deliver greater benefits to Australian grain growers than would be possible if the GRDC operated alone.
Partnerships enable investors to share financial resources and research capability, as well as other benefits such as market knowledge and access to complementary technologies and intellectual property. They also reduce the risk faced by each organisation.
Terry Enright, in his capacity as Chair of the Council of Rural R&D Corporation Chairs, with The Hon. Sussan Ley, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, at a breakfast at Parliament House, Canberra, to launch the booklet The benefits of rural R&D .
RDC collaborations
In 2006-07, the Chair of the GRDC served for a second year as the head of the Council of Rural R&D Corporation Chairs, which brings together all the chairs of Australian rural R&D corporations and companies (RDCs) to identify and pursue areas of common interest.
The GRDC also strengthened its strategic and operational relationships with the other RDCs by sharing corporate expertise in other ways. For example, the GRDC:
- worked with the other RDCs on developing a common framework for evaluating the impacts of R&D
- shared the GRDC's Statement of Intent with other RDCs
- participated in a workshop as part of the development of the new strategic R&D plan for the Cotton RDC
- participated in meetings of RDC business managers.
In September 2006, at Parliament House in Canberra, the RDCs jointly showcased the successes of the Australian story of industry-government partnership. Throughout the day, RDC representatives briefed more than 59 ministers, members of parliament, senators and ministerial advisers on the benefits of the RDC model. The GRDC Board members took part in the event and highlighted case studies on topics such as ensuring quality ingredients for fish and livestock feed; GoGrains; cooperative ventures to build capacity for innovation in rural industries; and accelerating the adoption of integrated soil management practices in irrigated cotton and grain.
In 2006-07, the GRDC was also an investment partner in a number of joint research projects, including:
- the Managing Climate Variability Program
- the Grain and Graze Program
- the Premium Grains for Livestock Program
- the Joint Centre for Farm Health and Safety
- Pastures Australia
- the Pasture Soil Biology Program
- the Aquaculture Nutrition Subprogram.
Further details of these and other collaborative projects, including the research partners involved, are provided in Appendix 4.
International collaborations
Alliances
In 2006-07, the GRDC maintained two very valuable international alliances:
- a contractual relationship, and investments, with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Mexico-this relationship has made significant long-term contributions to the productivity and sustainability of the Australian wheat industry
- a strategic alliance with ICARDA (the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) in Syria-this year, two new strategic projects were put in place to support the alliance, one on breeding chickpeas for drought tolerance and disease resistance and one on enhancing yield and yield stability in bread wheat.
The GRDC continued to support the Global Crop Diversity Trust, providing $475,766 in 2006-07. The objective of the trust is to provide a permanent source of funds to support the long term conservation of germplasm on which the world depends for food security.
Investment
The GRDC invests in several companies with overseas collaborators, for the benefit of Australian growers. These include:
- Philom Bios (Australia) Pty Ltd, a joint venture between the GRDC and Philom Bios Inc. of Canada, to develop and commercialise high-value biological soil inoculants
- Arista Cereal Technologies Pty Ltd, a joint venture with CSIRO and Groupe Limagrain of France, to develop high-amylose wheat technologies
- two collaborations through the Export Grains Centre Ltd (EGC), which has the GRDC and the Council of Grain Growers Organisations Ltd as its members
- HRZ Wheats Pty Ltd, a joint venture between EGC, CSIRO and Crop and Food Research (New Zealand), to develop quality wheats for high-rainfall zones
- Canola Breeders Western Australia Pty Ltd, a joint venture between EGC, the Council of Grain Grower Organisations Ltd, the University of Western Australia and Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG (Germany), to develop canola varieties primarily for Western Australia.
Delegations
In 2006-07, the GRDC hosted a number of international delegations, mainly from countries with well-established grains industries. Through such visits, the delegations learn about Australia's industry-government collaborative approach to R&D, while the GRDC gathers first-hand information about the industry drivers in other countries.
Particularly noteworthy were high-level visits from:
- a four-person delegation from the Alberta Agriculture Funding Consortium, Canada, in August 2006
- a 25-person delegation from the Asociación de Cooperativas Argentinas, Argentina, in November 2006
- a three-person delegation from the Singaporean Ministry of Defence, accompanied by Computer Associates managers, in October 2006
- a seven-person delegation from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, in March 2007
- a three-person delegation from the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture and Australia based Coffey International, in March 2007.