VIC Committee
The Victorian program, established in 1995, enjoys strong support from the Victorian Government and the private sector for its training activities in crop production, the dairy industry, education and animal health. The Victorian Program has adopted a strategy of selecting and concentrating on projects which will provide cumulative ongoing benefit to developing country agriculture by running programs which build on experience year on year for up to three years.
This, however, does not prevent us from seizing opportunities for valuable ad hoc training when appropriate. Major crop programs have included cocoa in Vietnam and Papua New Guinea (PNG), potatoes in PNG, dairy hygiene in Malaysia and Indonesia, animal health in Nepal and an ongoing relationship with the Royal National University of Bhutan where we helped to set up a bachelor of agriculture degree course and training in research techniques in agriculture. Victorian scientists and technologists have welcomed the opportunities to interact with colleagues and students to help them lift agricultural production in developing countries, while at the same time enhancing the scientific capacity of their own agencies through networking and exchanging knowledge and ideas on food and fibre production.
Additionally we are now making greater use of valuable Australian facilities such as the National Grains Genebank and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, both based in Victoria. We will be looking for opportunities to increase training in plant biosecurity to complement the work we are already doing in animal biosecurity. A brochure summarising our activities is available here.
2023 Crawford Fund Student Awards – Victoria
As part of our efforts to support and encourage the next generation in study, careers and volunteering in international agricultural research, the Crawford Fund proudly supports our Student Awards. These awards have been developed specifically to enable university students to gain valuable experience and expertise by bringing an international component to their studies and research.
The Crawford Fund 2023 Student Awards are now open!
In Victoria, applications are open to honours and postgraduate students interested in gaining international agricultural research experience in developing countries, with a maximum of $4,000 awarded. We strongly recommend you read this general background information before you start your online application. The short online application form will require you to attach a brief CV, the signatures of, or a supporting note from, the authorised officers approving your application, and details of at least one referee.
PLEASE NOTE THAT APPROVED AWARDEES’ TRAVEL WILL NEED TO COMPLY WITH DFAT TRAVEL ADVICE FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH PURPOSES.
The closing date for the 2023 Student Awards is COB 15 May 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 STUDENT AWARD RECIPIENTS!
Congratulations to the 14 successful applicants from around Australia who received our 2022 awards to experience international agricultural research and development first hand.
The Victorian awardee was:
Oscar Fung, The University of Melbourne
Location/Focus: United Kingdom
Research: CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to improve plant growth and grain quality of bread wheat.
Other Collaborating Institutions: The John Innes Centre, UK and CIMMYT, Mexico.
Victoria Crawford Fund Scholars: 2022 Annual Conference
Each year, the Crawford Fund Committees offer Conference Scholarships for students and young researchers to attend the annual conference. The Scholarship provides funds to cover expenses such as travel, accommodation and registration.
We’re excited to announce our bumper crop of 46 2022 Annual Conference scholarship winners from universities and organisations across Australia, and for the first time, special guest scholars from Papua New Guinea! This takes our conference scholar alumni to almost 370 young students and researchers and industry representatives with an interest in reshaping agriculture to better address food security, the nutritional needs of a growing population, and the environment.
The 2022 conference scholars from Victoria are listed below.
- Billy Chudleigh, University of Melbourne
- Scarlett Cuthbertson, University of Melbourne
- Hannah Ebert, University of Melbourne
Victorian Committee in the News
- Let’s hear from our Conference Scholars from Victoria
- Student Award applications – second round offer for NSW, WA & VIC
- Staying connected for plant health
- Remote Workshops & Remote Volunteering Pilot
- The R4D challenge – anticipating every step
Events