Throughout the year, the FRDC’s focus has been on delivering its core business, investing in priorities to promote sustainability, improve productivity, profitability and grow aquaculture and finalise projects disseminating the knowledge generated.

The FRDC engaged and communicated extensively, using formal consultative structures (representative organisations, Research Advisory Committees, Industry Partnership Agreements, and the Indigenous Reference Group); as well as with the broader range of our stakeholders. The development of the new R&D Plan 2020–25 included expansive stakeholder engagement and as COVID-19 emerged it became more important to maintain linkages with and provide the latest information to our stakeholders to assist them.

The FRDC continues to work collaboratively across all the rural research and development corporations (RDCs) on national issues such as climate change, innovation and people development. An important part of this has been working on a new collaborative investment vehicle to address them in a coordinated way.

The directors’ review of operations (found on pages 6–10 of this report) provides further detail on events and activities that impacted the FRDC during the year.