The 2022-23 year marked the fifth and final year under the CRDC Strategic RD&E Plan 2018–23. The strategic RD&E investments that CRDC made in 2022-23 under this plan are helping to drive the Australian cotton industry towards a future of innovation, increased commercialisation and digital transformation.

In 2022-23, Australian cotton growers and the Australian Government co-invested $17.7 million through CRDC into cotton RD&E, across 189 projects and in collaboration with 86 research partners. The investments were made in the five key areas identified in the Strategic RD&E Plan: increasing productivity and profitability on Australian cotton farms; improving cotton farming sustainability and value chain competitiveness; building the adaptive capacity of the Australian cotton industry; strengthening partnerships and adoption; and driving RD&E impact.

In this report, we bring you an update on our progress towards our strategic goals – our investments, our innovations, and our impacts – five years into our Strategic RD&E Plan 2018-23.