Dairy Australia is one of 15 Rural R&D Corporations (RDCs) covering virtually all of the agricultural industries.

Established in the early 1990s, the RDCs enable industry and researchers to work together to establish the strategic direction of R&D and to fund projects that give industry the innovation and productivity tools to compete in global markets.

RDCs use funds from levies on production and matching government grants to commission on-farm and off-farm agricultural R&D on a competitive basis amongst public and private providers.

They are expected to fund projects that benefit the industry and wider community given the contribution taxpayers make. The RDCs work with a range of stakeholders to establish a shared vision of what the future can be and publish it in their five-year plans and annual operating plans.

The combined industry and government funding the RDC model provides has been a vital element in the success of Australia’s R&D effort.

In the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector, R&D has helped Australian agriculture double its productivity over the past 25 years.