$150 million for four lucky CRCs

Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Arthur Sinodinos this week announced $151.5 million to be invested in four new Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) — the winners of the 18th CRC selection round.

The CRC for High Performance Soils will receive $39.5 million over 10 years to help farmers bridge the gap between soil science and farm management. This will give them the tools and knowledge they need to make decisions on complex soil management issues.

The CRC for Honey Bee Products will receive $7 million over five years to help link floral hive sites to product quality control processes, creating a healthy product image for national and international markets.

The Food Agility CRC will receive $50 million over 10 years to help Australia’s food industry grow its comparative advantage through digital transformation. It will develop ways of applying the agile culture and processes of the digital economy along the whole value chain for fresh and processed food.

The iMove CRC will receive $55 million over 10 years to explore digital and evolving vehicle technologies to help traffic to flow more smoothly. This will result in reduced congestion, fuel use and emissions, and improved national productivity and competitiveness.

CRCs that missed out on funding included the Cyber Security CRC, the Future Water CRC and the Innovation for Mental Wealth CRC.

“I’m delighted that the new CRCs selected in this 18th funding round will involve interdisciplinary researchers working with industry to explore new processes, including digital technologies, to deliver improvements in strategic industry sectors,” said Sinodinos.

The 19th CRC selection round is expected to open in May.

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