Government funding windfall for forestry research projects

Australia’s forest and wood products industries are set to benefit from more than $6million of new research funded through the Mount Gambier Centre of the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI).

Support has been extended for eight new projects to be conducted out of the existing NIFPI centre in Mount Gambier.

Six research facilities will share in the funding: Central Queensland University, University of South Australia, Flinders University, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Tasmania, and Tree Breeding Australia.

The 2022-2023 October Federal Budget committed $100 million over five years for an expanded Australia-wide National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (Australiawide NIFPI) to support research and development to address national challenges in the forest and wood products industries.

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt said this initiative would invest in our forest and wood products industries’ research and innovation capacity. “It will support ongoing research careers in the forest and wood products sectors, while more broadly supporting forestry jobs of the future,” Minister Watt said. “The third round of projects will play an important role in exploring and facilitating innovation in areas such as forest management, worker safety, advanced remote sensing, forest water use, tree breeding genetics and optimising resource utilisation.”

South Australia Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven said the joint initiative between the Federal and South Australian Governments demonstrated the shared commitment to supporting these industries. “The Federal and South Australian governments have jointly contributed $2.85 million dollars to the third round, this indicates how important this industry is to the Mount Gambier region and the state’s economy,” Minister Scriven said. “This funding has been matched by industry and researchers with $3.2 million in contributions.”

To date, total investment in the 19 projects supported by the Mount Gambier NIFPI has been almost $14.5 million, through government, industry, and research investment.

For more information on the Mount Gambier NIFPI, visit https:// nifpi.org.au