Sugar Research Australia (SRA) is committed to managing a balanced portfolio of research, development and adoption (RD&A) investment activities and services that produce impact for and underpin the future viability of Australia’s sugarcane industry.
To understand how investors rate SRA’s performance, independent surveys are conducted of growers and millers.
Amongst the grower respondents, knowledge of SRA activities is widespread, and SRA is perceived to be a trusted source of information, producing information products, services and tools that are highly valued. SRA publications and e-newsletter are the main source of knowledge for the organisation’s activities and awareness is also created through SRA updates/ seminars, field days and the website.
A miller survey conducted in December 2020 and January 2021 found mixed satisfaction with SRA’s performance. Most milling respondents positively rated core research and services and communications products, such as Milling Matters and the Milling Webinar Series. However, most were neutral about overall organisational performance.
Both the miller and grower surveys indicate that trust is an organisational strength with 75 per cent of milling respondents and 71 per cent of growers believing that SRA is trustworthy.
Following these surveys, and 18 months of consultation and engagement with more than 700 industry members, SRA has adopted a new approach to strengthen industry collaboration. District planning is providing the industry with a direct conduit into R&D planning and a stronger pathway to translate research into practical and commercial benefits for industry.
SRA has released a new Strategic Plan 2021–2026 co-created with industry to address the key challenges most critical to the sustainability and prosperity of the industry. SRA has also reached agreement with industry groups and government to develop the first industry-wide shared vision and roadmap to 2040.