The Australian Government is investing in our forest and wood products industries’ research and innovation capacity to deliver Australian made solutions to national challenges.
In partnership with the University of Tasmania (UTAS), the Australian Government has established an Australia-wide National Institute for Forest Products Innovation, under the operational name of Australian Forest and Wood Innovations (AFWI).
AFWI will receive over $100 million in funding from the Australian Government between 2022-23 to 2026-27. AFWI is based in Launceston at UTAS and will have three regional research centres which will undertake forestry research and development.
AFWI is based in Launceston at UTAS and will have three regional research centres which will undertake forestry research and development. One of the research centres is based at UTAS in Launceston. The Australian Government has identified the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Melbourne as the other 2 preferred research centres.
The AFWI Board oversees all AFWI activities. The Board is supported by a Research Advisory Committee.
AFWI aims to put Australia’s forest and wood products industries on the front foot, supporting applied research, development and innovation.
It creates opportunities for innovation and commercialisation of new knowledge.
It also provides opportunities to develop researchers in forest and wood products industries and associated research areas.
AFWI Headquarters, based at UTAS, is the administrative centre that coordinate research undertaken by 3 regional research centres and other projects through the national open call each year.
Details on the research centres and national open call are available on the AFWI website.
The AFWI Board oversees all AFWI activities. They operate in an advisory capacity and endorse the strategic direction and research priorities of AFWI. The AFWI Board provides strategic direction and advice in relation to AFWI's program of activities and ensures that all research undertaken by AFWI is supported by industry.
The Board members are:
- Mr Bob Gordon (Chair)
- Ms Diana Gibbs
- Ms Christine Briggs
- Dr Heidi Dungey
- Mr Brian Farmer
- Mr Michael O’Connor
- Ms Rachael Cavanagh
- Mr Andrew Leighton
- Prof Julianne O'Reilly-Wapstra
- Mr Andrew Wilson
The Board is supported by a Research Advisory Committee.
Three research centres will be established under AFWI to undertake forestry research and development. One of the research centres is based at UTAS in Launceston. The Australian Government has identified the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Melbourne as the other 2 preferred research centres through an expression of interest (EOI) process.
UTAS (as host of AFWI) is working with the preferred research centres to enter into agreements to establish the research centres.
The applications for the EOI process were sought based on the following documents:
Download
Expression of interest guidelines for establishing Australian Forest and Wood Innovations research centres (PDF 485 KB)
Expression of interest guidelines for establishing Australian Forest and Wood Innovations research centres (DOCX 815 KB)
EOI application form (PDF 273 KB)
EOI application form (DOCX 103 KB)
The department provided responses to questions received during the AFWI research centres EOI question period. The questions and responses can be accessed below:
Download
Expression of interest – questions and answers (PDF 154 KB)
Expression of interest – questions and answers (DOCX 208 KB)
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
The agreement with UTAS includes 3 forms of research funding:
- Core research funding – funding available for use by research centres that does not require matching funding from industry, but requires industry support
- Research centre dedicated funding – funding that is allocated to research centres that requires matching funding from industry
- National open call for research – funding that is available for any forestry researchers in Australia, selected from an annual national call for projects, that requires matching funding from industry.
Matching funding can be cash or in-kind, and can be from industry, or other organisations. Commonwealth funding from other sources cannot be used as matching funds.
Each research centre will have specialised research themes.
Examples of the anticipated research themes that AFWI may address are outlined below.
AFWI’s research focus will also be informed by the AFWI strategic plan and industry engagement.
Climate change solutions
Forestry and forest products have the potential to support the goal of a net zero emissions economy by 2050. There are opportunities to add value to the industry through innovation focusing on:
- reducing industry emissions
- the role of forestry in carbon capture and sequestration
- assisting in the substitution of emissions intense materials with low-carbon forest product alternatives
- carbon capture by wood products.
Sustainable forests for our future
Opportunities to advance research into our unique forests for a sustainable future, including:
- tree breeding and genetics
- digital technology for forest management, monitoring and inventory
- improved silvicultural management
- First Nations peoples’ participation in production forest management
- natural capital accounting and maximising multiple forest benefits
- management of biodiversity, conservation and threatened species in a production landscape
- management of forest health, pests and diseases, including biosecurity
- fire management in a changing climate in the production landscape
- farm forestry in a productive landscape.
Making the most of our available wood fibre
Innovation to make the most of our wood fibre resources could focus on:
- product segregation and greater value recovery from existing resources
- wood and paper products
- innovative value adding to wood fibre
- biomaterial development
- new engineered wood solutions for construction
- improved supply chain
- transport logistics
- safety improvements, including fatigue management
- improved processing efficiency
- digital technologies, sensing machine learning and artificial intelligence applications in processing
- increasing wood fibre products contribution to the bioeconomy and circular economy
- optimising resource properties.
AFWI will run four annual open calls for forestry research. Each open call will deliver $5 million in research funding.
All Australian-based researchers supporting the forest and wood product industries can submit applications to the national open call. Applicants require matching funding from industry and other co-contributors.
The first national open call received 25 applications. AFWI undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the applications and identified 8 projects to share $5 million of funding. These 8 projects attracted $8.3 million in co-contributions and will support 36 early-career and higher-degree researchers.
A complete list of successful projects can be found on the AFWI website.
You can contact the department via AFWI.research@aff.gov.au.
Additional information on the AFWI can be found on UTAS’s AFWI website