RESEARCH ORGANISATION - Truffle Program of Research

Submissions closed at 12:00PM 24 October 2024 (AEDT).

The AgriFutures Emerging Industries Program helps grow up-and-coming rural industries for which there is a clear interest in their products but whose pathway for growth is unchartered. This is done through research that explores opportunities for growth and through skills development for industry leaders. Our goal is to sustainably grow developing rural industries and help them reach new markets.

The Australian truffle industry has been identified as an industry with high growth potential. To maximise value and leverage the industry’s growing engagement, the Emerging Industries Program proposes a five-year (May 2025 – May 2030) research program benefiting the Australian truffle industry.

This large collaborative program of research will bring together research organisations and industry participants to carry out and amplify research in the Australian truffle industry.

The Australian Truffle Industry Association (ATIA) has a robust Strategic Plan (2021-2026) Australian Truffle Industry Association (ATIA) Strategic Plan (2021-2026) with well-defined research and development priorities to assist the growth and development of the industry over the next five years.

Areas of investigation in this Program of Research may focus on, but are not limited to, the following priorities and example activities. These represent key industry-identified priorities critical for growth. Priorities and activities will be refined through workshops and discussion:

  1. Improve Grower Operations
    • Develop best practices for truffle cultivation and processing
    • Develop efficient and sustainable truffle farming models tailored to Australian conditions.
    • Optimise irrigation and nutrition strategies for truffle production.
    • Integrate innovative technologies to enhance truffle farm management and productivity.
  2. Phenology and Environment (including Life Cycle analysis)
    • Develop strategies to ensure the sustainability and growth of truffle production under changing climatic conditions.
  3. Biosecurity including Industry Mapping
    • Strengthen the industry's resilience to biosecurity threats and improve sector-wide data management.
  4. Market expansion and logistics optimisation
    • Conduct international market analysis and consumer behaviour studies.
    • Optimise logistics for new and existing markets.

Effective communication and extension of program findings will be incorporated throughout all focus areas.

A face-to-face workshop will be held in Adelaide on 28 November (10:00–17:30) and 29 November 2024 (08:30–13:00) with successful Expression of Interest (EOI) applicants required to have at least one informed and knowledgeable representative present. The focus of this workshop will be to gain an understanding of the three themes with regards to research currently being conducted on truffles in Australia, the current gaps/opportunities and what capability and experience is available within the group of participants. This workshop will be facilitated by an individual independent of AgriFutures Australia and the truffle industry. Following the workshop, AgriFutures Australia will work with the independent facilitator to identify the outcomes of the workshop and finalise a Statement of Requirements for the program of research.

To foster creative thinking and collaboration, a Monitoring and Evaluation (MER) session will be integrated into the workshop, establishing a strong foundation for the program’s success.
The independent facilitator will work with all parties, including the Managing Research Organisation, to develop a formal full research proposal for the collaborative program of work.

Applications close 12 noon AEST Thursday, 17 October 2024.

Contact
Dr Kerinne Harvey
Manager, Emerging Industries
programs@agrifutures.com.au

IMPORTANT: Please read information below to assist you in completing your application online.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

You may begin anywhere in this application form. Please ensure you save as you go.

If you need more help using this form, download the Help Guide for Applicants or check out Applicant Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

NAVIGATING (MOVING THROUGH) THE APPLICATION FORM

On every screen (page of the form) you will find a Form Navigation contents box, this links directly to every page of the application. Click the link to jump directly to the page you want.

You can also click 'next page' or 'previous page' on the top or bottom of each page to move forward or backward through the application.

SAVING YOUR DRAFT APPLICATION

If you wish to leave a partially completed application, press 'save and close' and log out. When you log back in and click on the 'My Submissions' link at the top of the screen, you will find a list of any applications you have started or submitted. You can reopen your draft application and start where you left off.

You can also download any application, whether draft or completed, as a PDF. Click on the 'Download PDF' button located at the bottom of the last page of the application form.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

You will find a Review and Submit button at the bottom of the Navigation Panel. You need to review your application before you can submit it.

Once you have reviewed your application you can submit it by clicking on 'Submit' at the top or bottom of the screen or on the navigation panel. You will not be able to submit your application until all the compulsory questions are completed and there are no validation errors.

Once you have submitted your application, no further editing or uploading of support materials is possible.

When you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your submitted application attached. This will be sent to the email you used to register.

If you do not receive a confirmation of submission email then you should presume that your submission has NOT been submitted.

Hint: also check the email hasn't landed in your spam or junk email folder.

ATTACHMENTS AND SUPPORT DOCUMENTS

You may need to upload/submit attachments to support your application. This is very simple, but requires you to have the documents saved on your computer, or on a storage device.

You need to allow enough time for each file to upload before trying to attach another file. Files can be up to 25MB each; however, we do recommend trying to keep files to a maximum of 5MB – the larger the file, the longer the upload time.