Grain growers looking to commercialise an invention, or develop a new value-added product, are not being left on their own during this period of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To support growers wanting to enter the world of product commercialisation, free-of-charge 'Growers As Innovators' virtual workshops will be held in late May.

GRDC has partnered with Farmers2Founders (F2F) to deliver the workshops on May 26 and 28.

What's on offer

GRDC Manager Commercialisation - North, Chris Murphy, says the three-hour workshops will explore how growers can take their home-grown innovations to the next level.

"The workshops, to be delivered by F2F, aim to provide advice and guidance about how to progress 'new' ideas and link 'would-be entrepreneurs' with established experts," he says.

Mr Murphy says growers will have the opportunity to:

• meet other like-minded producers working on new business and product ideas;
• receive feedback and support about commercialising their products or inventions; and
• get the chance to work with F2F's entrepreneurs and innovation experts.

"These workshops will also assist those growers who have a problem on-farm and are looking to work on solutions with others," he says.

Accessing the workshops

The workshops will be held online on Tuesday, May 26 - from 2.30-5.30pm AEST - and Thursday, May 28 - from 10am-1pm AEST.

Grain growers from anywhere in Australia can join the workshops via laptop or tablet.

Investing in the future

The 'Growers as Innovators' workshops are part of GRDC's innovation investment agenda and involve partnering with F2F to deliver the online forums across the nation - and to support growers who have creative solutions to improve or combat problems in the grains industry.

F2F was established by innovation specialists Sarah Nolet, of AgThentic, and Christine Pitt, of FoodFutureCo, to support producer-led innovation.

Its farmer entrepreneurship programs help Australian primary producers lead the conversation on emerging technologies and new business models in agriculture.

GRDC Research Code FTS1904-001ASX

More Information: To register for the workshops, go to: https://www.farmers2founders.com/events or contact Alexander Leat, F2F: Alex@farmers2Founders.com.