National Primary Industries Research Development and Extension Framework
Through the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC), the states and Northern Territory, rural R&D corporations, CSIRO, and universities are jointly developing the National Primary Industries Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Framework to encourage greater collaboration and promote continuous improvement in the investment of RD&E resources nationally.
On 6 November 2009, PIMC endorsed the Framework including the overarching statement of intent between 24 parties and the first RD&E strategies for the pork, wine and dairy industries:
The Australian Pork Industry National Research, Development and Extension Strategy
National Primary Industries Research, Development and Extension Framework — Wine Sector Strategy 
PDF [815kb]
Dairy Moving Forward - A National Research, Development and Extension Strategy PDF [2mb]
Why have a framework
Research, development and extension (RD&E) in primary industries is central to increasing industry productivity and ensuring sustainability. Across Australia, RD&E is funded and carried out by a complex and diverse web of research providers and investors with strong interconnections. The 15 rural R&D corporations and industry-owned companies (RDCs) are an integral component of this web, alongside the state and territory governments, CSIRO, universities and private providers.
Australia ’s primary industries cannot afford a fragmented or duplicative RD&E system if they are to continue to improve their productivity and sustainability. Australia’s approximately $1.6 billion annual RD&E investment in primary industries needs to be focussed, used efficiently, effectively and collaboratively. The framework provides the structure and institutional arrangements needed to strengthen national research capability and better address cross sectoral and sectoral research and development.
In April 2005 PIMC recognised these challenges and endorsed the concept of ‘National R with Regional D&E’. The concept recognises that basic and strategic research (R) can be provided from a distance, with regional adaptive development (D) and local extension (E) required improving the uptake of innovation by industry.
In 2006 PIMC then agreed to a set of principles to facilitate further cooperation between agencies and industry for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the national RD&E capability. These principles emphasise cooperation, information sharing, maintaining funding, access to capability and reporting and are the basis for the statement of intent between the parties to the framework.
What the framework looks like
The Framework spans 14 primary industry sectors (including new and emerging industries) and seven cross-industry sectors. These are:
- primary industry sectors: beef, cotton, dairy, fisheries and aquaculture, forests, grains, horticulture, pork, poultry, sheepmeat, sugar, wine, wool, and new and emerging industries
- cross-industry sectors: animal biosecurity, animal welfare, biofuels and bioenergy, climate change and variability, food and nutrition, plant biosecurity and water use in agriculture.
To build the Framework each industry sector and cross-sectoral issue is exploring its RD&E capacity, research priorities, emerging needs and opportunities. This involves consulting with relevant collaborators (including universities) in each sector to identify resource requirements and implementation issues.
Who is building the framework
The Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC), via its research and development (R&D) subcommittee, is working closely with the industry peak bodies and the 15 RDCs to progress the development of the Framework. Each of the 14 primary industry and seven cross-industry sectoral strategies have been allocated a lead agency, which is responsible for delivering the strategies through collaborating with jurisdictions.
The PISC R&D Subcommittee comprises representation from:
- New South Wales Government
- Northern Territory Government
- Queensland Government
- South Australia Government
- Tasmania Government
- Victoria Government
- Western Australia Government
- Commonwealth Government
- CSIRO
- Grains Research & Development Corporation
- Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
- Australian Council of the Deans of Agriculture
What we can expect from the framework
When the Framework is fully implemented, it is expected:
- research capability will become more collaborative, specialised, have larger critical mass and will be less fragmented across the nation. Efficiency and effectiveness of RD&E will be markedly improved overall, although some additional costs could be incurred providing national linkages and to support delivery of regional development and local extension.
- agencies will retain and build capability in fields strategically important to their jurisdictions and industries. At the same time, it is expected agencies will collaborate with others to provide for a more comprehensive national research capability.
- State jurisdictions will decide what their research role is in specific sectors, whereby:
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“Major priority” means that a jurisdiction will undertake a lead national role by providing significant R&D effort in all or most disciplines of a particular industry. For example, Victoria will have a major priority focus on the dairy industry.
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“Support” means that a jurisdiction will undertake some R&D, but others will be providing the major effort. For example, New South Wales will undertake some local development of research findings for the pork industry, whereas national research will be led from South Australia.
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“Link” means that a jurisdiction will carry out little or no research in the field, but will access information and resources from other agencies. For example, Tasmania will access information on beef research undertaken elsewhere.
- the national research capability will be an integral component of a wider innovation agenda, supporting development and extension. To encourage rapid uptake of new technologies, research developed in one location would be available nationally for the whole industry.
Work is underway on implementation and operational issues such as access to research and intellectual property protection, filling capability gaps, overcoming free riding and providing extension services.
By ensuring the substantial resources invested by government and industry in research are managed cooperatively, a more efficient, effective and comprehensive capability will be possible.
What will success look like
There will be a more coordinated and collaborative approach to rural RD& E, national research capability will be focussed, used efficiently, and effectively to achieve the best outcome and uptake by primary industries.