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Opportunities

DAFF: Drought Fund Innovation Challenge Pilot

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Opportunity for

  • Australian Innovators and researchers with drought-resilience focused technologies or practices that have reached applied research stage that have potential to be scaled up and adopted at a cross-regional, industry or system-wide level.

Opportunity description

Industry challenge

Australian agriculture is facing increasingly complex and multi-dimensional challenges due to drought and climate variability. To ensure the sector remains productive and sustainable, we need solutions that go beyond business-as-usual. That is why the Innovation Challenges Pilot focuses on transformational change, guided by insights from farmers, researchers, innovators, First Nations People, and regional communities.

The Australian Government’s Innovation Challenges Pilot is now open, with $20 million in funding to support bold, collaborative solutions that address the complex impacts of drought and climate change on agriculture.

Current opportunity

This initiative, delivered through the Future Drought Fund (FDF), takes a challenge-based approach designed to foster transformative innovation rather than incremental improvements. It aims to future-proof Australian agriculture by investing in high-impact projects that deliver long-term resilience across landscapes, water systems, and communities.

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Opportunity background

The Pilot provides $20 million over three years (from 2025–26) for projects that are collaborative, evidence-based and challenge-driven – to address one or more of the following priority areas:

  • Advancing National Capital and Biodiversity for Drought Preparedness
  • Innovating Water Management for Enhanced Drought Resilience
  • Enhancing Community Resilience in Agricultural Regions

Successful projects may apply for up to $2 million in funding.

This is your opportunity to turn identified challenges into funded, impactful projects. High-quality applications are sought from consortia across the agriculture sector that can demonstrate proof of concept and a clear pathway to scale.

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