The Honourable Melissa Price MP, Minister for Science and Technology recently approved the progression of the ONE Basin Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) to the final stage of the current round of CRC applications. ONE Basin was one of six shortlisted bids out of 15; a tremendous effort given the competitiveness of the national CRC program that spans all industries and research fields.

This is welcome news for the Goyder Institute and ONE Basin partners as 2021 draws to a close – reflecting the strong commitment and collaboration across industry, governments and research partners that has developed during the bid process. As described in our August 2021 e-news, the Goyder Institute is one of seven Tier 1 partners of ONE Basin. The Institute’s Partners, the South Australian Department for Environment and Water, The University of Adelaide, Flinders University, CSIRO and the South Australian Research and Development Institute are also partnering in the ONE Basin CRC, along with the SA Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA).

Through collaboration, ONE Basin will address one of Australia’s most complex water challenges. Together the partners envisage a resilient and sustainable Murray-Darling Basin, powered by a strong innovation capacity that supports Basin communities, businesses, industries and water managers to adapt and thrive with changing global drivers. It has six core objectives:

• Deliver the capacity for communities, government and industries to respond to emerging climate, water and related changes in business and planning decisions.
• Develop engineering and digital water infrastructure solutions that contribute to a resilient Basin.
• Enable adaptation by farm enterprises and rural communities to global trends and drivers.
• Build collaborations to tackle the emerging basin management opportunities and risks.
• Train the future leaders across basin businesses, communities and governments.
• Establish a strong regionally based innovation system supporting an entrepreneurial outlook by regional communities and businesses.

ONE Basin provides an exciting opportunity for the Goyder Institute to progress its Water for Agriculture and Climate Resilience Impact Areas outlined in our Strategic Plan 2020-2023. Water for Agriculture aims to identify alternative water management options and optimised management of water portfolios to enhance agricultural productivity and underpin the economic and social well-being of regional and remote communities.

The ONE Basin bid includes 90 partners from across the basin, which importantly, includes a mix of leading industry, business, government and research organisations and communities that will be necessary to achieve its objectives. There has never been such a partnership assembled to address the future of the basin. This will support the goal of the Institute’s Strategic Plan 2020-2023 to continue to build on our collaborative model through developing new partnerships with industry, the Australian Government, interstate governments, First Nations, communities and other leading water research and industry organisations.

The stage 2 application will be submitted in February 2022, with outcomes announced in May 2022 and, if successful, ONE Basin will be establitshed in the second half of 2022.

You can visit onebasin.com.au for more information or contact Goyder Institute Director Dr Kane Aldridge to discuss the ONE Basin CRC research program and partnership opportunities.