In response to challenging weather conditions and flooding across large parts of eastern Australia, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has extended the application period for their $20 million infrastructure program.

There has already been significant interest from research organisations and farming groups into the infrastructure program, which is designed to build the country’s long-term research capacity through investments in new infrastructure or the enhancement of established facilities.

GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart says the infrastructure program was announced in September with applications initially due in by the end of November.

“We understand the extreme weather events have had a widespread impact on our growers, farming communities and research organisations in eastern Australia. It’s been a really tough season so we’ve been doing what we can to support our sector,” Mr Hart says.

“Our responses to date have included specially developed webinars and information to help growers and agronomists make decisions about wet harvest and we’ve now made the decision to extend the closing time on our major infrastructure grants program.

“We want to ensure those interested in applying for our infrastructure grants aren’t disadvantaged by circumstances beyond their control, so we’ve pushed the closing date out to December 21.”

Mr Hart says the infrastructure grant program was a major, national initiative for GRDC that was designed to ensure Australia’s world class researchers and technicians had the facilities and resources they need to deliver great science that improved grain growers’ profitability.

“It’s really important to us, and to the growers we invest on behalf of, that we get high quality applications that are going to make a genuine different to Australia’s research capability,” he says.

To be eligible for GRDC infrastructure grants applicants must provide a minimum co-contribution of 20 per cent for projects up to $1 million and of 30 per cent for projects of $1 million and above.

Grants under the national infrastructure program will be provided to support the building of new, or existing facilities such as glasshouses, greenhouses, irrigation works, laboratories or sheds.

The grants can be also used for: sensing and communication equipment, farm and research equipment and sample preparation and analytical equipment.

GRDC invites applications from applicants with planned projects which have all relevant approvals in place at the date of the application or in sufficient time to enable construction to start by 30 June 2023.

Details of the tender and the application process can be found on the GRDC website.