Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program

The Australian Government is inviting applications in an open competitive process to apply for a grant under the Future Drought Fund Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program.

The Innovation Challenges Pilot Program (the Program) poses 3 complex and multi-dimensional cross-regional, industry or system wide challenges imposed by drought and climate impacts, for applicants to respond to with innovative and tailored solutions.

The aim of the Program is to help drive and fast-track the availability of existing and emerging high-impact drought resilience approaches, innovative practices, tools and technologies. Farmers, agricultural sectors, regions and farming communities will benefit from accelerated access to high-impact, evidence-based innovation to adapt to drought and climate impacts at scale.

The Program is intended to attract innovators and researchers with technologies or practices that have reached applied research stage that have potential to be scaled up and adopted at a cross-regional, industry or system-wide level. It is anticipated that consortiums of innovators, farmers, communities would benefit from accelerated projects to increase the evidence base and speed of development of their innovative solution. It is anticipated that consortiums of commercial partners and innovators, farmers, farming communities, and/or other regional stakeholders may be formed.

To be eligible, the lead applicant of a consortium must be an Australian-based organisation, capable of entering into a legally binding and enforceable agreement with the Commonwealth. This includes the following entity types:

• Company
• Cooperative
• Corporate Commonwealth Entity
• Corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Entity
• Non-corporate State or Territory Statutory Authority
• Incorporated Association
• Indigenous Corporation
• Local Government
• Statutory Entity.