Future Drought Fund: Drought Resilience Research and Adoption Program - Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs

The objective of the program is to invest into collaborative research, development, extension, adoption and commercialisation (RDEA&C) activities aimed at helping primary producers and rural and regional communities to become more prepared for, and resilient to, future droughts. The program seeks to achieve this objective by:

• supportingcross-sectoral innovative and transformative RDEA&C
• focusingon the needs of end users, involving them in the co-design and adoption phases of research and development (R&D)
• deliveringeffectivecommunication of new and existing knowledge and technologies
• facilitating co-investment in national drought resilience RDEA&C priorities with collaboration and co-design between governments, primary producers, community groups, research and training providers.

The program elements are:

• Eight regionally-focused Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs (Hubs). Hubs will be established in specified regions that take in major climatic and agricultural zones across Australia. The Hubs will facilitate transformational change through co-design of RDEA&C activities. This will be achieved by bringing together farmers, researchers, local entrepreneurs, Indigenous groups, Natural Resource Management (NRM) practitioners, and industry and community groups. Their different knowledge and expertise will enable user-centred innovation, research and adoption.
• Drought Resilience Innovation Grants(Innovation Grants)for research organisations, the private sector, industry, not-for-profit organisations and community groups. The Innovation Grants will support R&D projects co-designed to deliver targeted solutions to identified drought resilience priorities.
• A Research Investment Plan will be developed through a participatory process to identify the highest national drought RDEA&C priorities.
• A Science to Practice Forum will be held to bring together program participants, synthesise RDEA&Coutcomes and inform practice and policy; and to facilitate key stakeholders’ discussion on RDEA&C gaps and priorities.