APPN and NCRIS

NCRIS provides a stable source of long-term funding for research facilities, equipment, data technologies and skilled staff necessary to maintain and develop these assets. These funds are allocated through long-term investment cycles that are designed to align specific capabilities with national research priorities.

NCRIS is overseen by the Australian Government Department of Education. Its investment priorities are informed by ongoing consultation with the research sector, government and industry stakeholders.

NCRIS Purpose

NCRIS was established as a coordinated, national approach to research infrastructure. At its core is an open access approach that ensures the entire Australian research community can utilise the facilities, equipment and operational expertise needed to deliver outcomes of national and international significance.

The key benefits of a National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy include:

• Enabling large-scale and high-impact research
• Strengthening international research partnerships
• Supporting workforce development and skills
• Facilitating translation of research into commercial and policy outcomes
• Enhancing Australia’s global competitiveness in science and technology

Having a national strategy reduces duplication of infrastructure investment, helps concentrate expertise to optimise effectiveness and efficiency, and promotes collaboration between industry, universities and government.

In APPN’s case, this means world-class phenotyping infrastructure such as controlled environment growth facilities, multispectral 3D scanners, mobile phenotyping platforms and more are available equitably across the country – enabling efficient, high-quality plant research at any scale and in any location or growing environment as needed.

NCRIS Structure

The national research infrastructure supported by NCRIS covers multiple capabilities, and these are generally delivered through partnerships with universities, research organisations and other operators.

The 26 NCRIS investments enable:

• Environmental and climate research
• Advanced manufacturing and engineering
• Health and medical research
• Data, computing and digital technologies
• Biological and genomic sciences
• Cultural and heritage collections

Each infrastructure capability is designed to be accessible on a national scale, with governance arrangements that are aligned to national strategic research priorities.

NCRIS Access

NCRIS facilities are intended to be broadly accessible to researchers from:

• Universities and research institutes
• Government agencies
• Industry and the private sector

Access arrangements may vary between NCRIS facilities, but they are designed to support fair and transparent use. This open access model increases utilisation rates and encourages cross-sector collaboration. 

Collaboration between different NCRIS facilities is also seen as important and highly desirable. It helps researchers to pursue multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary projects that reach significant outcomes sooner. For example, advanced data management and super-computer processing functions are common to many research projects across plant phenomics, genomics, climate science, medical research and more.

National Earth and Environmental Science Facilities Forum (NEESFF)

APPN is also part of the National Earth and Environmental Science Facilities Forum (NEESFF), a collective of NCRIS and other organisations that works to harness the capacity of its earth and environmental (E&E) capabilities to ensure Australia’s E&E research is used to its fullest potential in tackling global environmental and sustainability challenges.

NEESFF’s vision is an effective and coordinated response to studying and informing global environmental challenges in a uniquely Australian context. 

Discover more

To explore other NCRIS facilities and their capabilities, visit the Research Infrastructure Connected (RIC) portal