The winter 2021 edition of CRDC's magazine, Spotlight, is the 'innovation' issue. 

As agriculture continues to navigate the brave new world created by the development of the internet of things, big data and technological advancements, CRDC is also creating new pathways to capitalise on it.

The role of the Australian cotton industry’s world-class researchers and research projects are often the motor that drives innovation. Bringing this research together creates the brains for new technology for improved decision-making and crop management at the farm level. It also creates opportunities for cotton and its feedstocks to be transformed into new products for industries outside our traditional fibresphere, such as in the medical and bio-fuel industries. At the post-farm gate level, it gives the processors such as ginners the tools to turn out the fibre Australian cotton growers are so well known for.

CRDC will continue to support rigorous research, development and extension (RD&E) through traditional research pathways, albeit with a new focus on how to better bring knowledge and products to the field. CRDC is also looking to the future, through the Vision 2029 commitment, to create and prepare the industry to increased sustainability and efficiency. Technology has a major role to play in this.

In this edition CRDC provides some background on how RD&E is evolving and what it offers the industry. It is impossible to cover off every innovative project CRDC invests in, so in this edition you’ll find a snapshot to illustrate how traditional research and development is backing innovation, along with the pathways CRDC is following to bring innovators to the industry. You’ll also find the full list of CRDC's investments for the coming year.