Business development and commercialisation

Our purpose and activities

GRDC’s purpose is to invest in RD&E that creates enduring profitability for Australian grain growers. While GRDC’s IP management and delivery strategy will vary depending on the investment, the overriding aim is to ensure the most efficient and appropriate path to delivery is used to maximise the benefit for Australian grain growers. In some cases, the outputs of an investment will be most effectively delivered to growers through commercial mechanisms that apply GRDC's Commercial Principles.

Business Development and Commercialisation activities help facilitate co-investment from public and commercial partners that bring new ideas, expertise and/or make financial contributions to investments that are beneficial to the Australian grains industry. Learn more about these activities and outcomes with these examples.

GRDC protects the interests of Australian growers by securing Intellectual Property through patents, plant breeder’s rights or other legal arrangements. In many cases, protected IP can be licensed to industry for further development or deployment. Find out more.

Usually, the GRDC is only one of a number of public and/or private investors in the development of new technology. Investment partnerships are desirable and necessary not only from a financial viewpoint, reducing the risk to the GRDC.

In addition, the Business Development team undertakes a number of activities including:

Please contact us on busdev@grdc.com.au to discuss existing or new opportunities.

Selected examples of BD and Commercialisation cases

Super High Oleic SafflowerSuper High Oleic (SHO) safflower was specifically developed by the joint GRDC–CSIRO Crop Biofactories Initiative to expand crop options and develop new markets for Australian grain growers. It produces oil with an oleic acid content greater than 90 per cent, making it the only plant-based source of oil suitable for a large number of high-value industrial applications including lubricants, plastics, polymers, resins, cosmetics and biofuels.
  
The technology and safflower materials for the production of SHO safflower have been licensed to Go Resources, an Australian clean technology company specialising in renewable and biodegradable raw materials for industrial and oleochemical markets.

The SHO safflower was recently featured on the ABC Landline program.
Integrated weed seed destruction technologyGRDC invested in the development of non-chemical, mechanical harvest weed seed destruction, developing an idea first conceptualised by WA grain grower, Ray Harrington around 20 years ago.  Further research with the University of South Australia led to the development of a version of the technology that could be integrated into the harvester. The GRDC mechanical weed seed destruction technology was licensed to De Bruin Engineering, an Australian agricultural engineering company. Find out more.
Kebari ® - Ultra low gluten barleyKebari® barley the world’s first and only gluten-free barley.  GRDC and CSIRO invested in a long-term R&D program to develop gluten-free barley that would provide Australian grain growers with access to the growing global, high-value gluten-free market.
Omega-3 canolaIn 2011 GRDC joined forces with CSIRO and Nuseed®  to develop omega3 canola for commercialisation.  The collaboration developed canola seed that has a unique oil profile that includes long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.  The resulting oil is a reliable land-based source of long-chain omega-3s that will help address the limitations of fish oil. The omega3 canola will open up potentially massive global aquafeed and health food markets, and provide growers with a high-value canola market. GRDC invested to assist in the development of the technology to make the production of the special canola possible and Nuseed is managing global commercialisation. Find out more
Microwave weeding technology - GrowaveGRDC and the University of Melbourne co-invested in the development of non-chemical, microwave weeding technology. Relevant IP was licensed to a newly-formed start-up (Growave), which received private equity funding from UK-based IP Group and GrainInnovate for the further development and commercialisation of the technology. Find out more.
Non-wetting soils technology- Divine®The development of the Divine® test and treatment technology is the outcome of extensive industry collaboration. Co-funded in part by BASF and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the majority of testing was led by researchers at Swinburne University, supported by the CSIRO, the University of New England and the University of Western Australia, as a part of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Polymers. The technology is being commercialised in Australia and overseas by BASF.