Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are an Australian Federal Government program and are key bodies for Australian scientific research. The Cooperative Research Centres Programme was established in 1990 to enhance Australia's industrial, commercial and economic growth through the development of sustained, user-driven, cooperative public-private research centres that achieve high levels of outcomes in adoption and commercialisation. The program emphasises the importance of collaborative arrangements to maximise the benefits of research through an enhanced process of utilisation, commercialisation and technology transfer. It also has a strong education component with a focus on producing graduates with skills relevant to industry needs. Most CRCs offer scholarships for postgraduate students.
The CRC Programme is administered by the Commonwealth Department of Industry and Science.
Reviews of the Cooperative Research Programme have been regularly undertaken. In 2012, an independent impact study found CRCs generated a net economic benefit of $7.5 billion from 1991 - 2017. This equates to an annual contribution of $278 million, or around 0.03 percentage points to GDP.
The Cooperative Research Centre Association (CRCA), established on 1 December 1994, to promote the CRC program while also acting a conduit for information sharing and learning between CRCs. Over time the role has evolved to the extent that today the CRCA is also recognised as the principal non-Government advocate of the CRC Program.
Since the commencement of the CRC Programme in 1991 there have been 14 selection rounds. Selection rounds were conducted in March 1991, December 1991, December 1992, December 1994, and then at regular two year intervals: 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006. Following the review of the Programme in 2008, the 11th and 12th Selection rounds were both held in 2009. Selection rounds are now annual.
Results of CRC funding rounds can be found at the CRC online directory.
A number of websites of previously funded CRCs are archived in perpetuity on the National Library of Australia's Trove online library database aggregator.
The CRC for Oral Health Science produced the Tooth Mousse Plus product which remineralises tooth enamel, reducing dental decay. Tooth Mousse Plus is now sold in over 50 countries.
The Hearing CRC produced the Cochlear Hybrid system which has restored hearing to over 140,000 hearing impaired adults and children worldwide
The Vision CRC developed the O2Optix and Night & Day(r) contact lenses, generating over $10 million per year in royalties.
The Australian Biosecurity CRC produced a real-time genetic diagnostic test which is used for equine influenza. The test led to Australia eradicating equine influenza, a world first.
The Sheep CRC produced the Precision Sheep Management System, which changed management of sheep flocks. It is estimated this system will increase sheep industry profits by $82 million per year.
The Pork CRC developed a vaccine against the disease pleuropneumonia, reducing pig deaths and disease from the bacteria Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.
The Molecular Plant Breeding CRC developed Cross Outcome Prediction technology for predicting the success of wheat breeding. The technology reduces the time taken to determine success of wheat breeding from 15 years to just months.
The CRC for Technology Enabled Capital Markets produced the world's first real time health fraud detection program, which stands to save the health industry $720 million per year.
The CRCSIIB developed green technology to waterproof cardboard. The plant-based waterproof compound is 100% recyclable and 100% effective.
The Beef CRC produced two new killed vaccines against Pasteurella and pestivirus which cause bovine respiratory disease (BRD), both firsts for Australia.
The CRC program is estimated to have supported 4.400 doctorate and master's degrees by research.
The value of CRC education outcomes is estimated to be a total of $163 million.
The Poultry CRC produced an information sharing service www.poultryhub.org which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation praised for increasing interest in poultry production.
The CRC for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management produced the first written history of resource management by the Yalanji people, written in both English and Yalanji language.
The Molecular Plant Breeding CRC, in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics developed "Get into Genes", an education program about the role of gene technology in agriculture. Over 5000 high school students in South Australia and Victoria have participated in program.
Each year the CRC programme supports around 2000 Australian researchers and more than 1000 PhD students.
Over 150 CRC programme supported post-graduate students graduate each year.
The CRC Program provides funding to CRCs across six industry sectors: manufacturing technology, information and communication technology, mining and energy, agriculture and rural-based manufacturing, environment and medical science and technology
A current directory of CRC Association members is maintained by the CRCA.
Active
CRC for Advanced Automotive Technology
CRC for Advanced Manufacturing
CRC for Polymers
CRC for Advanced Composite Structures
Past
CRC for Bioproducts
CAST CRC
CRC for Construction Innovation
CRC for Intelligent Manufacturing Systems and Technologies
CRC for MicroTechnology
CRC for Railway Engineering and Technologies
CRC for Welded Structures
CRC for Wood Innovations
Australasian CRC for Interaction Design
Australian Photonics CRC
Australian Telecommunications CRC
CRC for Enterprise Distributed Systems Technology
CRC for Integrated Engineering Asset Management
CRC for Satellite Systems
CRC for Sensor Signal and Information Processing
Smart Services CRC
CRC for Spatial Information
CRC for Technology Enabled Capital Markets
Young and Well CRC
Capital Markets CRC
Mining and energy
CRC for Optimising Resource Extraction
Parker CRC for Integrated Hydrometallurgy Solutions
CRC for Clean Power from Lignite
CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development
CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC)
CRC for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration
CRC for Mining
CRC for Sustainable Resource Processing
Predictive Mineral Discovery CRC
Agriculture and rural-based manufacturing
Aquafin CRC (CRC for Sustainable Aquaculture of Finfish)
Australian Biosecurity CRC for Emerging Infectious Disease
Cotton Catchment Communities CRC
CRC for an Internationally Competitive Pork Industry
CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies
CRC for Forestry
CRC for Innovative Dairy Products
CRC for National Plant Biosecurity
CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation
CRC for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology
CRC for Sustainable Rice Production
CRC for Sustainable Sugar Production
CRC for Tropical Plant Protection
CRC for Value Added Wheat
CRC for Viticulture
Poultry CRC
Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC
Bushfire CRC
CRC for Australian Weed Management
CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management
CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment
CRC for The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
CRC for Greenhouse Accounting
CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity
CRC for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management
CRC for Tropical Savannas Management
CRC for Water Quality and Treatment
CRC for Catchment Hydrology
CRC for Freshwater Ecology
CRC for Irrigation Futures
CRC for The Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems
CRC for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration
CRC for The Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems
CRC for Water Quality and Treatment
Desert Knowledge CRC
Environmental Biotechnology CRC
eWater CRC
Invasive Animals CRC
Sustainable Tourism CRC
CRC for Water Sensitive Cities
Medical science and technology
CRC for Alertness, Safety and Productivity
Biomedical Imaging CRC
CRC for Aboriginal Health
CRC for Asthma
CRC for Chronic Inflammatory Diseases
HEARing CRC
CRC for Diagnostics
Oral Health CRC, formerly the CRC for Oral Health Science
CRC for Mental Health
CRC for Vaccine Technology
The Vision CRC