Rural research and regional innovation

Abstract

Over the past 200 years, Australian farmers and the communities dependent upon them have relied upon institutionalised research in order to adapt to harsh Australian landscapes. The term institutionalised here is used in two senses: first, the codification of research practice through formal methods or experimentation; and second, the creation of organisations, laws, policies and funding mechanisms to support, undertake and communicate research and its findings. The subject of this chapter is the latter, now valued to be at least $2.9 billion per annum and considered relatively novel and worthy of emulation elsewhere around the globe.