Strategies

In this section:

Corporate strategies
Practices
Varieties
New Products
Communication & Capacity Building
Commercialisation

Corporate strategies

Figure 8 - The GRDC's primary objective and corporate strategies

The GRDC's primary objective is to support effective competition by Australian grain growers in global grain markets through enhanced profitability and environmental sustainability. The GRDC has adopted four corporate strategies, underpinned by strategies for each LOB, to drive the corporation’s R&D investments to achieve the greatest benefits for the grains industry and the wider community. An overview of the relationships between the strategies and the primary objective is shown in Figure 8.

The GRDC's four corporate strategies are to:

coordinate a national grains R&D agenda and portfolio
deliver against Australian Government priorities
grow and leverage total grains R&D investment
ensure R&D is market-driven.

The following sections set out how these corporate strategies will be implemented through the operational strategies of the Practices, Varieties, New Products and Communication & Capacity Building LOBS.

Practices

Figure 9 - Practices objective and strategies

Objective

Better practices developed and adopted faster

Strategies

The Practices LOB will achieve its objective by implementing four strategies:

identify and develop profitable, innovative and integrated practices and technologies
ensure active grain grower involvement and commitment
undertake targeted extension and adoption through appropiate delivery channels
enhance sustainable management of natural resources.

These strategies will be implemented by investing in agronomy, soil, environmental management and crop protection. Results from these investments will be validated and integrated into farming systems, and grower programs will be developed to assist with their adoption.

Identify and develop profitable, innovative and integrated practices and technologies

The GRDC will develop and deliver new technologies and farming practices to overcome soil constraints, use soil biology to productive advantage, manage efficient use of water and nutrients, assist growers to deal with climate change and climate variability, and provide a wider range of species options for use in rotations.

These technologies and farming practices will include:

methods to maximise the profitable use of water
new technologies for more efficient agronomy
methods that match nutrient inputs to crop demands
methods to economically remove soil constraints to crop production
practical integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that reduce reliance on prophylactic use of broad spectrum pesticides.

As well as integrating new crop and pasture varieties into cropping systems and soil biology into healthy soil management packages, the GRDC will combine genetic, cultural and chemical approaches to disease management.

In addition, the GRDC will:

advise plant breeders on which traits are required in crops
increase the diversity of weed control options, and improve the management of weed control options in changing farming systems
coordinate national approaches to weed management
encourage the adoption of durable genetic resistance as the 'first line of defence' against crop diseases
respond rapidly to changing disease threats
facilitate the development of a national network to capitalise on regional centres of expertise in IPM
maintain national capability in invertebrate pest research through better coordination and use of resources and provision of training opportunities.

Ensure active grain grower involvement and commitment

Partnerships and alliances with grower groups and the private sector will play an increasingly important role in the integration and delivery of new practices and technologies.

The GRDC will bring together representatives from specialist research areas and various industry sectors, including agronomists, growers and scientists, to build the grains industry’s capacity for change in farming practices. As well as involving large numbers of grain growers in developing, testing and implementing new technologies and production systems, the GRDC will encourage grain growers to participate throughout the research cycle.

To ensure active grain grower involvement and commitment, the GRDC will:

engage grain growers in local farming systems through participatory research, development and delivery
undertake research into and monitor the implementation of farm management practices
engage the private sector in addressing crop production needs of smaller and more localised grower groups and individual growers, who are outside the GRDC's existing investments in farming systems. A key feature of engaging the private sector will be generating information that can be used by extension networks.

To ensure active grain grower involvement and commitment, the GRDC will engage grain growers in local farming systems through participatory research, development and delivery.

Undertake targeted extension and adoption through appropiate delivery channels

Grain growers are required to assimilate and interpret a profusion of increasingly complex agronomic information. The industry is experiencing rapid changes in demographics, farming systems and production goals, and changing delivery channels and new technologies are influencing the ways growers access GRDC information.

The GRDC will work on matching delivery channels (such as grower groups, retail advisers and fee-for-service advisers) with segments of the grain grower population (for example, innovators, early adopters or non-adopters) to encourage grain growers to adopt new technologies and practices.

The GRDC will:

collect accurate market intelligence to understand industry needs
utilise a range of delivery networks and programs to deliver GRDC outputs
produce and coordinate the delivery of timely, relevant, high-quality information and experiences to grain growers, grower groups and advisers
develop a range of formatted and integrated information and technology packages for stakeholders.

Enhance sustainable management of natural resources

The GRDC has a significant partnership role in dealing with environmental issues. Through the Practices LOB, the GRDC will continue to make a contribution by aligning sustainable production systems research at a farm level with broader, community-based land use initiatives.

The Practices LOB will also deliver outputs relating to a better understanding of the drivers for climate change and variability and how growers and land managers can best respond and adapt to these factors. To enhance sustainable management of natural resources, the GRDC will:

identify and mimimise the environmental impacts of the grains industry
provide the industry with tools to manage climate variability within the context of climate change
assist the industry to demonstrate its environmental credentials.

Practices objective: Better practices developed and adopted faster

Strategies	Critical success factors	Key performance indicators*
Identify and develop profitable, innovative and integrated practices and technologies	R&D partners focused on innovative and integrated approaches to cropping constraints Innovative practices and technologies integrated into farming systems	Water uses efficiency in targeted agro-ecological zones increases by 10% The proportion of growers taking up precision agriculture and related practices represents 60% of growers surveyed The area of cropping land with retained stubble increases by 10% The proportion of growers with improved confidence in managing pests, weeds and diseases averages 90% of growers surveyed, up from 80%
Ensure active grain grower involvement and commitment	Growers motivated to participate Effective grower feedback mechanisms	The number of growers and industry representatives participating in GRDC funded activities (crop updates, field days, research projects) increases from 16,000 by 10% The number of growers directly involved in planning, priority setting and evalutation of LOB R&D and extension portfolio increases from 220 to 440
Undertake targeted extension and adoption through appropriate delivery channels	Clearly segmented grain growers, grower groups and advisers Research outputs aligned with segments Target audiences aware of and accessing information from a broader range of sources	A customer relationship management database is implemented by the end of 2008 The proportion of growers adopting new or improved farming practices due to GRDC activity increases from 20% to 40% of growers surveyed The proportion of growers accessing the GRDC's web site increases from 25% to 50% of growers surveyed
Enhance sustainable management of natural resources	Reduce environmental footprint of the grains industry Industry adapting to climate variability and climate change	The proportion of growers who indicate that GRDC has had a positive impact on the adoption of actions relating to long-term sustainability increases from 45% to 60% The proportion of growers actively monitoring dryland salinity, as indicated by the number of growers monitoring the depth of the water table, increases from 24% to 30% The number of growers improving and maintaining soil condition increases, as indicated by the increased use of: Lime from 39% to 45% Gypsum from 49% to 55 Controlled traffic from 20% to 30% The number of growers managing nutrients and minimising nutrient loss increases, as indicated by the increased use of: Nutrient budgeting from 54% to 60% Variable rate technology from 20% to 30% The percentage of growers using climate risk management tools to actively manage climate variability increases from 27% to 40%

* Key performance indicators are over the plan period, unless otherwise stated

Varieties

Figure 10 - Varieties objective and strategies

Objective

Growers have access to superior varieties that enable them to effectively compete in global grain markets

Strategies

The Varieties LOB will achieve its objective by implementing four strategies:

build and sustain world-leading breeding programs
focus pre-breeding research on key traits
develop a path to market for genetically modified crops
facilitate faster adoption of superior varieties.

These strategies will be implemented by investing in gene discovery, breeding technologies, genetic resources, functional genomics, germplasm enhancement, genetic transformation, plant breeding, crop variety testing, grain quality research and plant pathology (when directly related to breeding). The performance of new crop varieties developed by GRDC-supported breeding programs is independently tested through the National Variety Trials (NVT).

Build and sustain world-leading breeding programs

The GRDC will work with its research partners to ensure that:

breeding programs are market-driven—that is, they are integrated with medium to long term demand signals (in terms of quality traits) from consumers
strong leadership and communication exist throughout the breeding chain, including pre-breeding research, breeding, variety commercialisation, variety uptake by growers and use by consumers
effective linkages exist between all segments of the breeding chain
each individual activity in the breeding process is performed efficiently and effectively.

The GRDC will also work with the grains industry to improve the way End Point Royalties (EPRs) are collected and managed, so that breeders are appropriately rewarded for innovation and effort.

Wheat breeding

The GRDC will work with its partners to:

encourage the development of national wheat-breeding programs
facilitate the transition process to a viable number of breeding programs while maintaining competitive neutrality
improve EPR collection and management
communicate with and engage grain growers, to explain the need for change and ensure their concerns are considered in the transition process.

The GRDC will continue to support activities that ensure market signals are effectively relayed to wheat breeding programs. These include the work of the Wheat Quality Objectives Group, an expert panel that provides specialist advice in identifying wheat quality requirements for consumer products and manufacturing processes. Together with wheat marketers, the GRDC will support an annual Industry Forum for wheat breeders, researchers and customers, to communicate market signals to those directly involved in developing new varieties for Australian wheat growers.

Photo of scientist looking into a microscope

The GRDC will facilitate the establishment of national pre-breeding research programs focused on more generic, 'foundation' traits of particular value to the industry.

Barley breeding

The GRDC will continue to work with its partners in the new, national program Barley Breeding Australia (BBA), to achieve efficiencies through greater integration and collaboration at the national level, while catering for specific regional and consumer requirements.

Pulse breeding

In consultation with research partners, the GRDC has facilitated the establishment of a national pulse-breeding program, Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA), that unites the breeding programs for field peas, chickpeas, faba beans and lentils. PBA brings together the major state government pulse-breeding agencies, Pulse Australia, the University of Adelaide and the GRDC into a coordinated, national endeavour.

The GRDC will work with its partners in PBA to ensure that all the pulse-breeding programs share germplasm, technologies and intellectual property so that benefits flow freely across the states, while ensuring that the program meets the regional needs of growers, marketers and consumers.

Canola breeding

The GRDC will work with its partners, including the Australian Oilseeds Federation, to facilitate the development of a number of world-leading, national, self-sustaining canola-breeding programs, which will compete for market share and be rewarded through seed royalties and EPRs.

Summer crops

The GRDC will continue to work with its partners to improve the performance of breeding programs for summer crops, including sorghum, soybeans, peanuts, mung beans and sunflowers.

Focus pre-breeding research on key traits

Pre-breeding research includes gene discovery, functional genomics and the establishment of genetic marker-trait associations, the development of new breeding tools, and the development of genetic traits ready for use in breeding programs. Pre-breeding research is typically high-tech, expensive and high-risk, with long lead times.

The GRDC's pre-breeding strategy will have the following characteristics:

input from consumers, growers and breeders to ensure the research is market-driven
focus on traits that will deliver maximum benefit to the Australian grains industry
depending on the crop, non-exclusive, equitable access to publicly funded pre-breeding research by breeding programs, to ensure the maximum benefit to the Australian grains industry
effective intellectual property protection and management arrangements that encourage rapid uptake of R&D outputs by breeding programs
effective communication, collaboration and coordination between institutions, to minimise duplication and fragmentation and maximise progress
efficient technology transfer between pre-breeding and breeding programs
relationships that provide ready access to R&D outputs developed overseas, including R&D outputs from the private sector
mechanisms for recognising and rewarding good performance, including collegiate behaviour.

The GRDC will integrate pre-breeding research into existing research in smaller, publicly funded breeding programs in barley and pulses.

For wheat and canola, which have larger breeding efforts that span the public and private sector, the GRDC will facilitate the establishment of national pre-breeding research programs focused on more generic, ‘foundation’ traits of particular value to the industry. The GRDC will maximise the impact of the research by making the outcomes available to all the wheat and canola breeding programs in Australia, non-exclusively. The GRDC's prebreeding strategy in wheat and canola will address the increasing barriers to information and germplasm exchange between public sector and private sector breeding programs.

The GRDC will work with its partners to facilitate faster adoption of superior varieties.

Develop a path to market for genetically modified crops

The GRDC and its research partners invest in research projects that aim to develop GM crops and derived products. When this research approaches proof-of-concept stage, further investment will be required to bring these crops and products to market. While the delivery platform and infrastructure requirements for GM canola have been established, the path to market for other GM crops, including wheat and barley, remains unclear.

The GRDC will commission research to:

determine the issues around the management of GM-based production systems for wheat and barley, including the management processes and traceability required to achieve market and consumer acceptance of the final product
identify suitable GM wheat and barley crop transformation systems with freedom to operate
determine time lines and costs for bringing GM wheat and barley crops and products to the Australian and international markets.

The GRDC will make its research findings and recommendations available to stakeholders and other industry groups to guide future investments by the Australian grains industry in the development, production, processing and marketing of GM wheat and barley crops and related products.

Facilitate faster adoption of superior varieties

To achieve faster adoption of varieties with superior yield, quality and disease resistance, the GRDC will work with its partners to:

improve the effectiveness of competition in driving efficiency gains through EPRs
enhance the links between the breeding process and the variety commercialisation process
commence seed increase earlier in the breeding process
explore grower contracts that allow increased adoption rates of new plant varieties
improve coordination of the release of new varieties
promote and improve the NVT program to ensure that growers select the varieties that offer them the greatest potential.

Varieties objective: Growers have access to superior varieties that enable them to effectively compete in global grain markets

Strategies	Critical success factors	Key performance indicators*
Build and sustain world-leading breeding programs	Breeding programs with clearly defined technical breeding targets and performance criteria Breeding programs with regular access to reliable market signals Breeding programs using efficient and cost-effective royalty collection systems (including seed royalties and EPRs) and improved management systems Breeding programs that are commercially run Research partners continuing to invest in breeding programs for crops where market failure exists	Annual yields as measured in NVT trials increase by: 1.0% for what and barley 1.5% for canola 2.0% for pulses 1.5% for sorgum By 2010, 90% of the wheat entries in NVT trials meet minimum disease standards for rust resistance By 2010, 90% of the canola entries in NVT trials have blackleg resistance scores of 7 or above Australian wheat continues to enjoy price premiums in important Asian markets By 2010, EPR and seed royalty compliance is greater than 80% nationally (measured by consolidating breeding program data) Breeding population size is expanding or being maintained on reduce resources Where market failure exists, the GRDC's research program partners contribute at least 50% of the costs of running the breeding program
Focus pre-breeding research on key traits	Pre-breeding research that is world class and coordinated nationally and internationally Key traits identified and prioritised Research partners continuing to invest in pre-breeding research Genetic resource centres supported	Evidence of excellent scientific research and effective collaboration both nationally and internationally through independent, expert scientific reviews to be conducted in 2008 and 2010 By 2008, organisations responsible for at least 80% of the pre-breeding research have agreed to focus 50% or more of their resources on an agreed set of national and regional traits There is evidence that genes, germplasm and enabling technologies developed in GRDC supported pre-breeding research are being utilised in breeding programs The GRDC's research partners contribute at least 50% of the cost of all pre-breeding research There is evidence of pre-breeding and breeding programs using the material and information from the genetic resources centres (measured in terms of the number of accessions used)
Develop a path to market for genetically modified crops	Increased market confidence in the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops in Australia Access to leading-edge technologies with freedom to operate for Australian R&D Effective commericial partnerships in place, with the capacity and the commitment to deliver transgenic crops to Australian grain growers	By 2008, responsible stewardship protocols for GM crops have been developed and adopted by industry By 2008, there is increased market acceptance for GM canola By 2009, Australian researchers have access to key enabling technologies Market acceptance for GM crops other than canola has been achieved Australian breeding programs have access to novel traits which reduce key limitations to grain production Value propositions have been developed and effective delivery platforms are in place for the production of GM crops in Asutralia
Facilitate faster adoption of superior varieties	Improved marketing of new varieties Faster increase of quality seed More efficient seed distribution systems Breeding programs continuing to enter varieties into the NVT Growers accessing information that enables them to make informed decisions about variety selections	By 2010, there has been a 20% increase in the rate of adoption of new varieties (measured by consolidating breeding program data By 2010, 80% of all paid advisers are using NVT results to assist growers with variety selections By 2010, 90% of relevant breeding programs are participating in the NVT There is an increase in the number and effectiveness of variety management packages

* Key performance indicators are over the plan period, unless otherwise stated

New Products

Figure 11 - New Products

Objective

Deliver new products and services (both on farm and off farm) that will assist growers to effectively compete in global grain markets

Strategies

The New Products LOB will achieve its objective by implementing four strategies:

identify national and international technology relevant to the grains industry
develop partnerships to deliver new technology
undertake product development to meet market requirements
build robust business cases that demonstrate stakeholder return on investment.

These strategies will be implemented by investing in new grain products and new farm products and services. New grain products covers grain uses, such as food and industrial uses (including biofuels); feed and food safety; and grain hygiene. New farm products and services covers farm inputs (goods and services) and grain handling and storage.

Identify national and international technology relevant to the grains industry:

The GRDC will:

monitor developments and opportunities in technology in Australia and overseas through research and interaction with other organisations
identify opportunities to help new technology reach the Australian industry and market sooner.

Develop partnerships to deliver new technology

The GRDC will:

build partnerships to deliver new technology, developed in Australia or overseas, to the Australian marketplace
leverage R&D in new grain products to increase the quantum of investment.

Undertake product development to meet market requirements

The GRDC will equip the industry to meet the rising demand for feed grains in Australia by seeking a better way to assess the value of feed grain qualities for specific feed markets. As a member of the Feed Grain Partnership, which involves representatives from throughout the grain supply chain, the GRDC will support activities to survey and periodically report on the Australian feed grain situation.

In the area of biofuels, the GRDC will seek to investigate and identify opportunities for Australia in terms of either breeding targets for the Varieties LOB or new technologies to be deployed. This will include supporting studies to examine the feasibility of producing ethanol from crop residue in different Australian regions.

The GRDC will develop a business case for each investment having a commercial focus to ensure that the proposed new products and services have sufficient market demand to justify the investment.

New Products objective: Deliver new products and services (both on farm and off farm) that will assist growers to effectively compete in global grain markets

Strategies	Critical success factors	Key performance indicators*
Identify national and international technology relevant to the grains industry	New sources of technology identified International and national technology suppliers engaged The GRDC perceived as a reliable partner by technology suppliers	Six new technologies with the potential to deliver benefits to growers are identified each year At least one new international supplier is engaged each year The GRDC receives five unsolicited offers of new technology each year
Develop partnerships to delvier new technology	Existing partnerships developed New partnerships developed to deliver technology to growers	The Crop Biofactories Initiative identifies a pathway to market for each product being developed The Philom Bios (Australia) Pty Ltd joint venture delivers new technology to the Australian market The high-amylose wheat joint venture delivers a new product to market A national industry stored grain partnership is established One new partnership is established each year
Undertake product development to meet market requirements	Existing partnerships developed New partnerships developed to deliver technology to growers	Six new products are identified, and market assessments are undertaken, each year By 2009, two new products are tested under market conditions each year
Build robust business cases that demonstrate stakeholder return on investment	Business cases developed for all new investments, using valuation methodology to demonstrate returns to growers and investors Where there are returns to the Australian Government, business cases developed that identify the Government research priorities that will be actively addressed	Any new investment greater than $250,000 per annum is supported by a full business case Investment income generated for the GRDC is greater than $500,000 each year across all investments Investment generated from external sources for the GRDC's New Products projects is $5 million each year

* Key performance indicators are over the plan period, unless otherwise stated

The GRDC will develop a business case for each investment having a commercial focus to ensure that the proposed new products and services have sufficient market demand to justify the investment. The GRDC will select the right investment partners, who will:

have a good understanding of the relevant market
identify the right market signals
help with the development of market-ready products and services beyond the R&D stage.

Build robust business cases that demonstrate stakeholder return on investment

The GRDC will:

follow its commercialisation investment guidelines in identifying appropriate projects to support
conduct sound market analysis to establish a robust business case, based on the balance of risk and rate of return to growers, commerical investors and the GRDC, before supporting an investment proposal.

Communication & Capacity Building

Figure 12 - Communication & Capacity Bulding objective and strategies

Objective

Increase the awareness and capacity to optimise adoption of grains research outputs

Strategies

The Communication & Capacity Building LOB will achieve its objective by implementing four strategies:

ensure planned, targeted, measured communication
coordinates national approach to building industry and research capacity
leverage delivery through partnerships
develop demand-driven publications and products.

These strategies will be implemented by focusing on corporate communication, delivery of publications and products, and capacity building.

Ensured planned, targeted and measured communication

The GRDC will package and deliver information in a range of formats designed to meet the specific needs of its diverse stakeholders, who have a variety of communication styles and preferences. To maximise the effectiveness of communication information, the GRDC will use the customer segments identified in the Practices LOB to target delivery and impact.

The GRDC will:

disseminate current information on R&D activities and results to stakeholders
facilitate the uptake of research outcomes by the Australian grains industry
maximise the efficient and effective use of research funds (fostering research collaboration and eliminating duplicated efforts)
establish industry confidence in, and support for, the research directions and strategies developed by the GRDC, by generating awareness of the GRDC's activities, predominantly through campaigns coordinated across all LOBs
create a feedback loop from Australian grain growers, the Australian Government and research partners to the GRDC to measure the effectiveness of activities and improve performance
conduct communication activities according to a communication plan that identifies the needs of customers, key messages, and processes for implementation and evaluation

Coordinate a national approach to building industry and research capacity

The GRDC will work collaboratively with the State, Territory and Australian Governments, Australian research institutions, private businesses, and other industry partners to coordinate a national approach to building industry and research capacity. This will help to reduce duplication in the courses and training opportunities available to growers, consultants and agribusiness organisations.

Leverage delivery through partnerships

The GRDC will collaborate with universities, state departments, other RDCs, private agribusinesses and other private companies, and grower groups, to build innovative ways to make better use of communication networks, reduce duplication of research outputs and strengthen key messages.

Develop demand-driven publications and products

The GRDC will develop new and innovative publications and products that:

are driven by grain growers' needs
ensure timely delivery of relevant and important information
are in formats that are appropriate for their intended users
use effective distribution networks to reach targeted audiences.

Communication & Capacity Building objective: Increase the awareness and capacity to optimise adoption of grains research outputs

Strategies	Critical success factors	Key performance indicators*
Ensure planned, targeted, measured communication	Strong internal understanding of the GRDC's stakeholders' needs Greater stakeholder familiarity with the extent and diversity of the GRDC's role Strong two-way communication and information exchange between the GRDC and its stakeholders High levels of brand recognition among target audiences (with the GRDC regarded as a principal source of technical and industry information) Key stakeholder awareness of the GRDC's research activities, outputs, impacts and value to industry Communication strategies developed for each delivery channel	Innovative communication initiatives are delivered each year The proportion of growers significantly valuing Ground Cover supplements as a credible source of information increases from 25% to 50% National media coverage of the GRDC's research activities is increased (to be measured against benchmarks established 2007) Unaided awareness of the GRDC increases through targeted communication activities (from 68% in 2006 to 90% by 2010) The number of favourable mentions of the GRDC in the media increases (to be measured against benchmarks established in 2007) By 2010, the proportion of growers who are aware of the GRDC's regional panels increases to 70%
Coordinate a national approach to building industry and research capacity	Capacity supply chain and needs analysis completed Strong relationships with industry and research capacity suppliers nationally Awareness of skill and knowledge development opportunities for researchers, grain growers, farm advisers and industry members Strategic capacity-building investment portfolio in place	By 2008, a nationally coordinated agricultural research capacity-building strategy is developed Industry satisfaction that agreed knowledge gaps are being addressed increases (to be measured against benchmarks established in 2007) The number and value of co-funding arrangements with industry and research partners, including other RDCs, increases from the current baseline
Leverage delivery through partnerships	Strong cooperative relationships with national and international research partners Collaboration in R&D communication and extension activities with research partners Delivery channels identified and relationships developed	The effectiveness of industry collaborations to deliver the GRDC's research outputs can be demonstrated Participation in the GRDC's training and development programs increases Innovative partnerships are developed to maximize the impact of information dissemination
Develop demand-driven publications and products	Cross-LOB collaboration to identify potential opportunities for developing and delivering new publications and products - including through existing agribusiness networks Regular monitoring of current and emerging issues Resources for the development of responsive, stakeholder-specific information products Accessibility of knowledge and information emerging from current and completed research projects (through a standardised final report template for research publications)	The number of new opportunities identified by LOBs and jointly delivered to stakeholders increases Stakeholders are satisfied that information products are timely, targeted, coherent and specific to needs (to be measured against benchmarks established in 2007) The proportion of growers accessing the GRDC's web site increases from 25% to 50% of growers surveyed

* Key performance indicators are over the plan period, unless otherwise stated

Commercialisation

Commercialisation is a means of delivering technology to Australian grain growers so that they can effectively compete in global grain markets. The GRDC's primary objective in commercialising research outputs is to make new, improved technology and crop varieties available to Australian grain growers quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.

The GRDC will achieve its objective in commercialising research outputs through:

ensuring commercialisation activities are aligned with the GRDC's corporate strategies and relevant to the GRDC's LOB strategies
leveraging capital and expertise from co-investors, to maximise opportunities to bring the technology to the marketplace and give grain growers access to the technology
developing comprehensive business plans for delivering satisfactory returns to grain growers and investors

As part of the overall commercialisation strategy, the GRDC recognises that, after the proof-of-concept stage, the following are necessary for commercialisation: a sustainable market size, expertise, funds, and distribution channels. Investments in joint ventures and companies will be based on the merits of business cases that demonstrate these attributes.

In selecting investment structures, the GRDC will follow its internal guidelines, and identify and implement the most appropriate structure for holding its equity in each business arrangement. The GRDC will ensure that all commercial entities with which it is involved have appropriate boards that possess the broad range of skills required to manage a business.

The GRDC's primary objective in commercialising research outputs is to make new, improved technology and crop varieties available to Australian grain growers quickly and as cost-effectively as possible.