Biosecurity Research and Development Fund

Page last updated: Wednesday, 27 June 2018 - 2:52pm

Please note: This content may be out of date and is currently under review.

The Biosecurity Research and Development (R&D) Fund provided funding specifically to progress innovative processes or technologies that would assist in the prevention, detection or management of pests and diseases that impact on WA’s agriculture and agrifood industries. The projects have all been completed as of June 2018.

The R&D Fund was made possible by Royalties for Regions and led by the Department of Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

 

Successful projects

84 applications were received over two funding rounds. Assessments were conducted by an external panel from the Western Australian Biosecurity Council, which then made recommendations to DPIRD. In the final assessment stage $3.2 million was awarded across 10 innovative biosecurity research projects.

The R&D fund application and assessment processes were successfully administered through the (new to DPIRD at the time) online grant management tool ‘Smarty Grants’.  Research Agreements were developed for each successful research project in collaboration with the proponent organisation and the DPIRD legal team.

Ten successful projects were selected:

  1. Resolving the critical disease threat to the Western Australian cucurbit industry from new and previous incursions of damaging cucurbit viruses - DPIRD.
  2. Simultaneous detection of all disease agents: Metagenomic diagnostics for screening and genotyping of pathogens in animals - DPIRD.
  3. Indospicine – managing the risk of residues in Western Australian meat - DPIRD.
  4. Reducing impacts of wild canids on livestock production industries - Murdoch University.
  5. Increasing stakeholder participation in biosecurity management - Invasive Animals Limited .
  6. Reducing feral pig impacts through the use of aerially deployed thermal sensors and habitat modeling - Murdoch University.
  7. Using innovative technologies to identify and map invasive cacti in the southern Rangelands of WA - Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association.
  8. New discriminatory diagnostic protocols for exotic khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium) to aid early detection and future-proof market access - DPIRD.

  9. Using economic experiments to demonstrate the principles of successful biosecurity cooperation to producers - The University of Western Australia.

  10. Protecting Western Australia’s grains industry from a highly invasive pest bird using innovative surveillance and early detection technology - DPIRD.

All research projects were completed between December 2017 and June 2018.