XX PROGRAM/INDUSTRY THREE/FIVE YEAR PLAN
What is a Three/Five Year Plan?
The Three/Five Year Plan has been developed by RIRDC, in consultation with program/industry
stakeholders, to outline the XX program/industry’s research, development and extension (RD&E)
objectives until 20XX. These objectives have been shaped by the goals and strategies of the RIRDC
Corporate Plan 2012-2017. The Corporate Plan is available on the RIRDC website,
www.rirdc.gov.au/about-rirdc.
In developing the XX Program/Industry Three/Five Year Plan, the New and Emerging Industries
National RD&E Strategy has been considered. The National RD&E Strategy aims to ensure more
efficient and effective RD&E in primary industries, through better coordination and collaboration.
The XX program/industry
Program/industry profile:
This is a brief section to provide some context about the program/industry. Information could include
(but is not limited to):
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XX commodities
XX producers
$XX GVP
Exports
Imports
Industry growth
Importance of program/industry to Australia
Public good outcomes of program (e.g. for NRI and GC programs)
Please keep in mind this section should be relatively brief; try to summarise the general state of the
industry/program in one to three paragraphs.
Industry position in the RIRDC life cycle (To be included if relevant to your program)
RIRDC’s commitment to new and developing industries is to support appropriate RD&E given their
stage of maturity in the Australian market. RIRDC clearly defines its role as an investor in industries
based on their development stage and the unique attributes of that industry.
Development stage
New
Current stage
Developing 1
Developing 2
Maturing
Established
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Stage goal, to be
achieved XX
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Legend:
New – Characteristics of ‘new industry’ life cycle stage
Developing 1 - Characteristics of ‘developing 1 industry’ life cycle stage
Developing 2 - Characteristics of ‘developing 2 industry’ life cycle stage
Maturing - Characteristics of ‘maturing’ life cycle stage
Established – Characteristics of ‘established’ life cycle stage
Include some commentary around exactly why the program/industry is considered to be at this life
cycle stage. For example, does this industry have a levy in place? Has an industry association been
formed? Are producers a cohesive body? Are voluntary contributions common? Etc.
Include some commentary around exactly what the program/industry needs to demonstrate in order
to achieve the stage goal (e.g. establish an industry association, establish a levy, contribute to cross
sectoral research, etc).
Outline the process/steps taken, should industry fall short of its life cycle goals or industry
commitment. E.g. “RIRDC expects the by 20XX, the industry will have done this. By 20XX, the industry
will have done this. Progress towards these goals will be assessed annually in consultation with
industry stakeholders. RIRDC’s commitment to the industry’s R&D will reflect the progress towards
these goals; RIRDC requires demonstrated commitment to growth and development from the
industry to justify continued investment.”
It is important to note here that this will be determined following significant consultation with
industry; there are many reasons industry may not meet their initial goals or financial commitments,
and these will be taken into account when assessing industry progress through the life cycle.
Financial commitments
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RIRDC commitment
Industry commitment (e.g. “RIRDC expects industry to contribute $XX/establish a levy” etc.)
External commitment (e.g. DAFF)
Cross-sectoral commitment (e.g. What is the $$ committed to cross-sectoral issues? What
issues is the program addressing?)
Three/Five Year Plan 20XX-20XX: Review Summary
Outline the original objectives of the previous Three/Five Year Plan, whether or not these objectives
were achieved, and whether they are still relevant. Please keep in mind this should be a summary
only; an extensive, detailed review is not required.
Program/industry RD&E objectives, 20XX-20XX
Outline explicitly the process taken for determining the XX program/industry’s priorities for 20XX to
20XX, and the consultation with program/industry stakeholders that occurred. For example:
“Regional workshops were held in XX, XX and XX, where industry stakeholders outlined the major
concerns and obstacles facing the XX industry, and the types of RD&E that could assist in overcoming
these issues. Additional feedback was also sought from individuals, via telephone interviews and face
to face meetings.”
OR
“RIRDC has consulted directly with government and industry stakeholders; this includes meetings
with DAFF, NFF and other RDCs held XX XX XX.” ETC.
This should be a summary of exactly how industry was engaged and consulted, to emphasise the
industry’s ownership of the RD&E priorities and thus making them more accountable for their life
cycle commitments.
RIRDC is committed to achieving significant benefits to industry within our available resources,
through the implementation of targeted and high-impact RD&E projects. The consultation process
highlighted a number of issues that the XX industry/program considers roadblocks to growth and
development. Of these impediments, those that can be addressed with targeted RD&E have shaped
RIRDC’s investment priorities for the next three/five years. Whilst not every problem raised can be
addressed, these priorities aim to achieve high-impact, far-reaching benefits to the
industry/program.
Objective 1
The objectives should include:
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The objective itself
The strategies to be undertaken to achieve the priority
The KPIs that will be used to assess whether the priority has been achieved
The impact/consequences that this type of RD&E will have (i.e. clearly articulate the industry
roadblock this RD&E aims to overcome, and the impact on industry if this problem is solved)
Some things to consider when determining objectives:
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You may wish to link each objective to a goal from the Corporate Plan, to highlight the Plan’s
relevance in shaping the RD&E objectives
For multi-industry programs (e.g. NAP, NPP), it may be more appropriate to split the objectives
according to life cycle stage (e.g. new industries within the program have XX objectives, developing
industries within the program have XX objectives etc).
Objective 2
As above.
Objective 3
As above.
These objectives will be reviewed annually, as part of RIRDC’s Annual Industry/Program Review
process. Further consultation and feedback will be sought from stakeholders, to adjust or amend
objectives as the industry moves through RIRDC life cycle stages.
Allocation of funding for these priorities will also be considered annually, as part of RIRDC’s Annual
Operating Plan (AOP). The AOP is available on the RIRDC website,
https://rirdc.infoservices.com.au/items/12-001.
Template key:
Yellow: needs to be edited as per the program
Red italics: an instruction/description of what should be included in that section
Plain black or blue: standard wording, should only be edited if absolutely necessary.