Australian agriculture has excellent R&D outputs but has historically lagged in metrics on commercialisation and adoption. The industry has a target of being worth $100 billion by 2030. One of the five pillars in the Australian Agriculture’s Plan for a $100 Billion Industry is Unlocking Innovation.
Many people in agriculture learn by doing and formal education can be challenging to fit into a career, particularly when working full time and living remotely. One of the five pillars in the Australian Agriculture’s Plan for a $100 Billion Industry is People and Communities
The IRDA Foundation is a not-for-profit Company Limited by Guarantee. The Foundation supports three key programs, internships, innovation study tours and scholarships. Key industry stakeholders and research institutions are partnering with the foundation as hosts, sponsors and venture clients. Leading start-ups, scale-ups and product developers in the Ag innovation ecosystem sponsor the program to enable strong links between industry and innovation providers.
Our purpose is to build capacity in agriculture and drive adoption of innovation at scale through experiential learning.
The Foundation has an Advisory Board made up of global industry stakeholders from educational institutions, industry, advocacy bodies and the innovation ecosystem.
It is governed by a board of Directors with experience in not-for-profit governance, administration of funding, industry boards and innovation models.
Claire Mahony, Director of the IRDA Foundation will be talking at the Northern Beef Research Update Conference (NBRUC) on the 12th of March, 2026 in Brisbane. Tickets available at: https://www.nbruc.com.au/
