Roundtable event highlights McGowan Government’s investment in job creating research

  • Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) are partnerships between government, industry and research institutions that fund research to support the growth of Australian industry
  • Prior to the election of the McGowan Government, WA was missing out on this important research funding
  • McGowan Government has invested $43 million in six WA-based CRCs
  • Science Minister Dave Kelly has facilitated an inaugural roundtable discussion of key representatives from and partners of Western Australia’s Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs).

    Speaking at the CRC Roundtable event in Perth, Minister Kelly acknowledged the achievements and contributions to economic diversification to-date of WA-based CRC’s, and reiterated the McGowan Government’s commitment to promoting research-backed industry development and opportunities in the State.

    The Federal Government’s long standing CRC Program provides significant Commonwealth funding for partnerships between industry and the research sector. The CRC program supports industry-led research that improves the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of Australian industries.

    Prior to the election of the McGowan Government in 2017, WA was home to just one CRC. Western Australian industry and research institutions were missing out on the benefits of this program.

    The McGowan Government has supported the establishment of five new CRCs in WA since March 2017.

    The McGowan Government’s substantial investment of more than $50 million in partnerships with CRCs homed or hubbed in WA, is a demonstration of this commitment, that has helped establish the State as a hub for collaborative research that is well placed to shape and create the jobs of the future for Western Australians.

    The six WA-based CRCs have leveraged $192 million in Australian Government grant funding.

    The CRC Roundtable, facilitated by the Minister in conjunction with the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, brought together CEOs and key research program leaders from the WA-based CRCs, as well as industry partners and Vice Chancellors from Western Australian universities. 

    The roundtable heard about the Future Battery Industries CRC plans to encourage a lithium battery precursor manufacturing industry in WA, with the CRC having already released a report into the economic feasibility and supply chain requirements for manufacturing in WA at industrial scale.

    Other WA-based CRCs at the roundtable highlighted their progress in creating technology to protect our local honey industry, new opportunities to export hydrogen, plans to better shutdown and rehabilitate old mine sites, the need to build the cyber security workforce and how cutting edge research is being used for smarter farming and foods.

    In addition to the $43 million to six WA-headquartered CRCs, the Western Australian Government has contributed another $8 million to a range of CRCs that have involvement from Western Australian industry, government and universities but are based elsewhere in Australia.

    The six WA-based CRCs are the Future Battery Industries CRC, MinEX CRC, Cyber Security CRC, CRC for Honey Bee Products, Future Energy Exports (FEnEx) CRC and CRC for Transformations in Mining Economies (TiME).

    The roundtable also included representatives of the Food Agility CRC, Future Food CRC and SmartSat CRC.

    An independent impact study in 2012 estimated the CRC program would generate a net economic benefit of $7.5 billion between 1991 and 2017.

    For more information about CRCs, visit the CRC Association website at https://crca.asn.au/

    As stated by Science Minister Dave Kelly:

    “WA is strong in industry-led research, with five new CRCs homed in WA since 2017, and a number of other major research programs led out of WA.

    “The McGowan Government’s $51 million investment in job creating research has been able to secure nearly $200 million of Federal Government funding.

    “The McGowan Government recognises the important role research plays in diversifying the economy and creating jobs, and the CRC research helps industry adapt, innovate and grow.

    “With their focus on industry-led research collaboration, CRCs can unlock opportunities for WA to strengthen the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of the State’s key industries.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.