The PBRI contributes to a nationally coordinated science-based system that protects the biosecurity all of Australia’s plant industries and the environment.

This new initiative is a partnership between the nation’s plant Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), working collaboratively with Plant Health Australia (PHA), industry, state and federal biosecurity stakeholders. The aim is to co-ordinate funding for research and development, deliver vital projects and attract further co-investment.

In 2015-16, the plant RDCs collectively invested $62.9 million into biosecurity research, development and extension (RD&E) (IGAB report, July 2017). A coordinated approach ensures that this effort is aligned to broader national goals and delivered with increased efficiency, avoiding duplication of effort.

The collaboration between all seven plant RDCs with PHA and government signals the importance these industries place on plant biosecurity RD&E and capacity building for the future.

The seven Plant RDCs and Plant Health Australia have funded the development of this Initiative. The core partners are:

• Cotton Research and Development Corporation
• Forest and Wood Products Australia
• Grains Research and Development Corporation
• Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited
• Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation
• Sugar Research Australia Limited
• Wine Australia
• Plant Health Australia
• Department of Agriculture and Water Resources

Australia’s plant biosecurity system is both a trade and economic asset. It underpins $30 billion in agricultural production pa and $20 billion of agricultural exports pa.

Plant Biosecurity risks are growing due to rising global trade and travel, increased agricultural expansion and intensification, rising urbanisation close to farmlands, and other factors such as climate change. Australia’s biosecurity system must remain strong and focussed, and build national capability and capacity to address future challenges. Research plays a critical role in keeping our biosecurity system strong.

The PBRI will play a long-term role investing in new knowledge and skills across all plant industries to support Australia’s highly regarded plant biosecurity system.

Importantly, the PBRI will provide coordination and collaborative leadership to ensure research is well-targeted, innovative and the science is of the highest quality.

The PBRI will address gaps in plant biosecurity research as identified in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity IGAB

These gaps highlight a need to:

• Continue to set national plant biosecurity RD&E priorities
• Support cross-sectoral research to avoid duplication between RDCs, leading to greater efficiency with biosecurity outcomes shared across industries
• Co-ordinate Plant Biosecurity research which is often ad-hoc and reactive addressing a need to avoid duplication and to provide a continuum of short, medium and long term research to support a robust biosecurity system.
• Strengthen industry’s connections to AGSOC R&I and the National Biosecurity Committee (NBC)*
• Build plant biosecurity capacity through cross-sectoral research opportunities for State and Federal research agencies
• Increase links with New Zealand researchers through Better Border Biosecurity (B3) (b3nz.org)

*For more information on IGAB, AGSOC R&I and the NBC, go to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website, (agriculture.gov.au) and click on the ‘biosecurity’ tab.

Biosecurity research that is relevant across plant industry sectors will be considered under this initiative ie. advanced diagnostics and sensors, data capture and analysis tools, risk assessment, surveillance tools, robotics, social and economic evaluation and sentinel networks.

This will also include endemic and exotic pests, diseases and weeds that affect Australia’s plant industries, community and the environment. On top of that, consideration will be given to global initiatives such as the International Plant Sentinel Network where these schemes can be benefit Australian plant industries.

The following research will not be in scope:

• Single industry biosecurity research issues
• Environmental biosecurity issues that do not affect plant industries
• Weed issues that do not affect plant industries
• Fresh water aquatic plant pests and diseases not affecting plant industry production

An agreement outlining the terms of the Initiative has been drafted for signing by the core partners. The PBRI Management committee comprises the Chair (Plant Health Australia), Deputy Chair (Council of the Rural RDCs), PBRI Director, seven plant R&D managers (RDCs) and the Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer (DAWR). The Committee will meet quarterly to discuss and recommend research for funding.

The Strategy is a national approach to focus on the research needs of Australia’s plant biosecurity system. The Initiative supports the implementation of the Strategy through effective research and investment allocation and management.

Australia has a nationally agreed framework to support improved coordination and management of research investment, infrastructure and capability for all primary industries. Responsibility for overseeing and implementing the framework falls to the national Research & Innovation (R&I) Committee, which is a sub-committee of the Agriculture Senior Officials Committee (AgSOC).

The members of AgSOC are the heads of the national and state and territory agriculture and primary industries departments. Membership of the R&I Committee includes representatives from the national and state and territory governments along with the CSIRO, the Rural RDCs, the Bureau of Meteorology and the university sector through representation from the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture. Current membership of the R&I Committee includes the CEOs of the Cotton and Rural Industries RDCs, along with the CEO of Horticulture Innovation Australia, all of whom are also participant members of the PBRI. The Council of Rural RDCs is also represented on the R&I Committee and the PBRI Management Committee. More information about the National Primary Industries Research and Development Framework and the R&I Committee can be found at npirdef.org.

The National Plant Biosecurity Research, Development and Extension Strategy was endorsed in 2013 as a cross-sectoral strategy under the national RD&E Framework. It is one of seven cross-sectoral strategies and 14 commodity specific strategies.

Implementation of the plant biosecurity RD&E strategy is overseen by an Implementation Committee (NPBRDESIC). Members of the implementation committee include representatives from the DAWR, state and territory departments with plant biosecurity responsibility, horticulture, grains and wine rural RDCs, the Council of Rural RDCs, and the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre. The Implementation Committee is chaired and supported by Plant Health Australia.

Cross sectoral research priorities from the Implementation Committee will be submitted to the PBRI for consideration.

The RDCs and government already invest significantly in plant biosecurity. The value the PBRI brings is that its members have a high degree of understanding of what their organisations will consider in the future. Concepts for projects will be developed through the regular tabling of cross-sectoral biosecurity research needs through the PBRI, which will draw out areas for greater co-investment. These will be submitted to the respective Boards for consideration.

Interested parties, other than the core partners, will be encouraged to participate in this Initiative by developing cross-sectoral research projects through the PBRI, committing cash and in-kind contributions. All cross-sectoral projects operating within the Initiative must be aligned to the National Plant Biosecurity RD&E Strategy.

The PBRI is a long-term proposition with an initial agreement period of June 19, 2017 to June 17, 2020. The agreement will be reviewed and re-executed on a five-yearly basis with the intention of providing a coordinated and sustainable Cross-sectoral RD&E Initiative into the future.