Cooperative Research Centre

Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are an Australian Federal Government program involved in Australian scientific research. The CRC programme is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources, which provides funding for projects through a series of funding rounds.

CRC Program logo

History

Since the commencement of the CRC Program in 1991, there have been a number of selection rounds. Selection rounds were conducted in March 1991, December 1991, December 1992, December 1994, and then at regular two-year intervals: 1996 through 2006. Following the review of the Programme in 2008, the 11th and 12th selection rounds were both held in 2009.^[1]

Reviews of the CRC program are regularly undertaken. In 2012, an independent impact study found that from 1991 to 2017 CRCs generated a net economic benefit of $7.5 billion. This equates to an annual contribution of $278 million, or around 0.03 percentage points to GDP.^[2]

Round 15 occurred in February 2024, providing $51 million in grants for 21 projects.^[3]

CRCA

The Cooperative Research Centre Association (CRCA) was established on 1 December 1994 to promote the CRC program while also acting as a conduit for information sharing and learning between CRCs.^[4] It has not been in existence since around 2019.^[5]

Governance and description

The Cooperative Research Centres program is intended to enhance Australia's industrial, commercial and economic growth through development of cooperative public-private research centres that achieve high levels of outcomes in adoption and commercialisation.^{[citation needed]}

The CRC program is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources.^[6]

Programs

Current programs

As of January 2024^[update], programs include:^[7]

• 2022 One Basin CRC^[8] $50M
• 2022 CRC Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food and Environments (SAAFE)^[9] $34M
• 2022 Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites (SoMAC) CRC^[10] $70M
• 2021 Digital Finance CRC^[11] $60M
• 2021 Heavy Industry Low-carbon Transition Cooperative Research Centre (HILT CRC)^[12] $39M
• 2021 Marine Bioproducts CRC^[13] $59M
• 2020 RACE for 2030 CRC $68M
• 2020 CRC for Transformations in Mining Economies $29
• 2020 Future Energy Exports CRC $40M
• 2020 Building 4.0 CRC $28M
• 2020 SmartCrete CRC $21M
• 2019 Blue Economy CRC $70,M
• 2019 Future Food Systems CRC $35M
• 2019 Future Battery Industries CRC $25M
• 2019 SmartSat, located at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide^[14][15] $55M
• 2018 Cyber Security CRC $50M
• 2018 Future Fuels CRC $26M
• 2018 Digital Health CRC $55M
• 2018 MinEx CRC $50M
• 2018 Fight Food Waste CRC $30M
• 2017 iMove CRC $55M
• 2017 CRC for High Performance Soils $39M
• 2017 Food Agility CRC $50M
• 2017 CRC for Developing Northern Australia $75M

Retired programs

A number of websites of the previously-funded CRCs are archived in perpetuity on the National Library of Australia's Trove online library database aggregator.^{[citation needed]}

• CRC for Alloy and Solidification Technology (1993-1999) ^[16]
  • CRC for Cast Metals Manufacturing (1999 - 2005) ^[17]
    • CAST CRC (2005-2012) ^[18]
• CRC for Mining Technology and Equipment (1991 - 2003) ^[19][20]
  • CRC Mining (2003-2017) ^[21] which became Mining3
• CRC for Intelligent Manufacturing Systems and Technologies (IMST) 1993-2006 ^[22]
• Advanced Manufacturing CRC (AMCRC) (2008 to 2015) ^[23]
• Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) (2016 to 2022)

SERC

The Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Space Environment Management was administered by the Space Environment Research Centre (SERC). Based on Mount Stromlo, SERC operated from 2014 to 2021 and conducted research into practical global efforts for space debris management, mitigation and removal. SERC Participants included EOS Space Systems, Lockheed Martin, Optus Satellite, Australian National University, RMIT University and NICT (Japan).^{[citation needed]}

Bushfire CRC

The Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre was an Australian-based organisation which conducted research into the social, environmental, and economic impact of bushfires.^[24][25] Although the CRC has completed operations, a legacy of a decade of research content is still online and accessible.^[26] Funded originally by a grant from the Australian government's Cooperative Research Centre in 2003, the Bushfire CRC was funded to 2014 to address key issues raised by recent major fires. The Bushfire CRC was made up of all the fire and land management agencies in Australia and New Zealand, CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, the Attorney General's Department and several other fire related organisations. A small executive office was maintained in East Melbourne. The organisation participated in the Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA).^[27] The work of Bushfire research was carried forward within the expanded research portfolio of the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC, from 2013 to 2021, and now with Natural Hazards Research Australia.

CSSIP

The Cooperative Research Centre for Sensor Signal and Information Processing (or CSSIP) was an organisation established under the Cooperative Research Centres program.^[28] It operated from 1992 to 2006, performing research, development, and education within several Information and Communications Technology areas:^[29] CSSIP's education arm was assigned to NICTA in mid-2005.^[30][31]

Spatial information

The CRC for Spatial Information (CRCSI) was a research organisation funded by Australia's Cooperative Research Centre Programme (CRC) and by participant contributions.^[32] The CRCSI was founded in 2003 with the successful re-bid announced in August 2009.^[33] The programme ended in June 2018.^[34] The CRCSI conducted research and development projects that involved collaboration between government, corporate, and academic resources. The CRCSI ensured Australia and New Zealand remained relevant in a spatially-connected world. The CRCSI was responsible for innovative research; the application and commercialisation of spatial information technologies by building collaborative partnerships.^[35][36] A study commissioned by the CRCSI and ANZLIC in 2008 found that the spatial information industry contributed between $6.4 and $12.6 billion to Australia's GDP in 2006-2007 alone.^[37] CRCSI has offices in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Wellington in New Zealand.^[35] The CRCSI research delved into key industry sectors, including: agriculture, natural resources and climate change; defence; built environment; and health through the delivery of spatial information across positioning, rapid spatial analytics and spatial infrastructures.^[38]

See also

• CSIRO – Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
• Lowitja Institute

Notes and references

1. . Archived from the original on 6 August 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2007.
2. . Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
3. "$51 million in grants to support industry-led research projects". Department of Industry Science and Resources. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
4. . Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
5. . CRC Association. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019.
6. "Cooperative Research Centres Program impact evaluation". Department of Industry Science and Resources. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
7. "Current Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs)". Australian Government Business. 18 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
8. One Basin CRC
9. CRC Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food and Environments (SAAFE)
10. Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites (SoMAC) CRC
11. Digital Finance CRC
12. "About". HILT CRC. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
13. Marine Bioproducts CRC
14. "SmartSat CRC". Lot Fourteen. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
15. SmartSat CRC
16. "CRC for Alloy and Solidification Technology (1993 - 1999)". EOAS. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
17. "CRC for CAST Metals Manufacturing (1999 - 2005)". EOAS. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
18. "CAST CRC (c. 2005 - c. 2012)". EOAS. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
19. . CMTE. Archived from the original on 26 September 2002.
20. "CRC for Mining Technology and Equipment (1991 - 2003)". Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation.
21. "CRC Mining (2003 - 2017)". EOAS.
22. . Archived from the original on 4 April 2004.
23. . Advanced Manufacturing CRC. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015.
25. Bushfire CRC
26. CSIRO Information page
27. Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA)
28. Cooperative Research Centres Association (CRCA) website
29. . Archived from the original on 25 September 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2007. (accessed 19-Sep-2007)
30. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2007.
32. . Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
33. GeoConnexion. 7 August 2009. (accessed 28 May 2010).
34. ANZLIC News Archived 2009-09-12 at archive.today, "The CRC for Spatial Information wins rebid". 10 August 2009.
35. CRCSI website
36. Paul Smith. "Spatial devices boost economic growth". The Australian Financial Review. 17 March 2008
37. Sandra Rossi "Landmark study qualifies economic benefits of spatial information", Computerworld. 14 March 2008.
38. CRCSI Information, 2015

External links

• Official website

35°16′54.54″S 149°08′01.91″E / 35.2818167°S 149.1338639°E / -35.2818167; 149.1338639