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WAFIC is the only fishing industry organisation of its kind to have an active and permanent research and development programme. Established in 1993 the R&D programme exists to help people in the industry with their own R&D efforts, and particularly to find grants that will help spread the risks involved in applied R&D.
With finite resources, and finite funds to study those resources, the WAFIC Board took the view that the industry should be more involved with biological research, and wholly involved in industry development.
As a result a Research and Development programme was formally incorporated as Programme 5 into the WAFIC 5 Year Plan 1996 to establish a formal mechanism to support the Fisheries Portfolio maximising the R&D benefits within the fishing and aquaculture industries. It has three programmes:
1. To be the Fisheries Research Advisory Body for the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.
Each State has a FRAB, and their function is to review FRDC project applications on behalf of the Corporation. The WA FRAB is the only one in the country to be housed in an industry council. WA makes the largest contribution of any state to the FRDC, and direct industry cash contributions alone from this state exceed the total contribution from any other State in Australia.
2. Provision of External Grant Funding assistance manage the Industry Development funds set aside by the Minister for Fisheries from the Development and Better Interests Funds.
The R&D Manager actively pursues the most appropriate source of State or Federal funding to underwrite industry-driven R&D. In the last three years over $1million has been levered for industry development projects.
3. To promote the 125% Tax Deductibility Scheme for R&D Expenditure
WAFIC provides comprehensive information on research and development matters to the industry. This includes access to development grants.
For further information on researchers go to the Research and Development Directory
or contact Richard Stevens at WAFIC on
